Adaptive count rate modulation for secondary ion mass analyzers.

Abstract

An adaptive secondary ion mass spectrometry method, comprising: (a) adaptively setting detection parameters that affect the instantaneous count rate of a detector; (b) scanning an evaluation sample with a focused primary ion beam; (c) sensing secondary ions emitted by the scanning with the detector to provide a detection signal; and (d) analyzing the composition of the evaluation sample based on (i) the detection signal and (ii) a mapping between the values of the detection parameters and the instantaneous count rate of the detector.

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