Patent ID: 6870153

Claim:
An apparatus for the measurement of isotopes at extremely low concentration and isotopes of very low abundance, the apparatus comprising an Inductively Coupled Plasma Source Mass Spectrometer equipped with a multi-dimensional detector system wherein ions transmitted by the mass spectrometer are detected with high selectivity; wherein the multi-dimensional detector system comprises: a multi-slit assembly, wherein the mass spectrometer is coupled to the multi-slit assembly and wherein the mass spectrometer is a coincidence laser spectrometer comprising: an optical detector coupled to the multi-slit assembly for specific detection of transmitted ions; a voltage programmer flight tube coupled to the optical detector, the voltage programmer flight tube including a non-specific ion detector configured for the non-specific counting of transmitted ions, the flight tube further including an exit port at a first end thereof and a laser system at a second end thereof; and a charged beam steering optics assembly positioned proximate the exit port of the flight tube.