| abstract |
A time-of-flight analyzer, such as a secondary ion surface analyzer, and method are disclosed wherein a beam of charged particles is created, magnified, directed along a path to a detector, detected and the time of flight measured. An emission lens is positioned on the path to produce the magnification and an additional lens can be provided along the path to produce variable magnification. A field aperture along the path limits the size of the image and a contrast diaphragm limits the lateral ion velocity. Two or more, preferably three, particle steering analyzers are sequentially positioned along the path from the emission lens to the detector with each of the three analyzers steering the particles through substantially 90 degrees. |