Patent ID: 8519329

Claim:
An apparatus for counting and measuring the flight time of secondary species and correlating coincidences between the secondary species while maintaining a continuous unpulsed micro-focused, sub-micron focused, or nanofocused beam of primary ions wherein the secondary species comprise electrons, photons, recoiled atoms, backscattered neutrals and backscattered ions, comprising: a source for the generation of a flow of continuous micro-focused, sub-micron focused, or nanofocused beam of primary ions; a surface for holding a sample, said surface positioned such that said flow from said source is incident upon said sample; a position sensitive detector having a multi-channel plate, a multi-anode array, an aperture wherein said aperture is positioned such that said flow travels from said source through said position sensitive detector to said surface; a secondary electron timing detector positioned to detect secondary electrons emitted from said sample; means for generating an electric field or a magnetic field, or means for generating an electric field and means for generating an a magnetic field, between said position sensitive detector and said surface, said secondary electron timing detector and said surface, or both between said position sensitive detector and said surface and said secondary electron timing detector and said surface; and a time-to-digital converter.