Detection apparatus for detecting charged particles, methods for detecting charged particles and mass spectrometer

1. A detection apparatus for detecting charged particles comprising:

a charged particle detector for receiving and detecting either incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles;

a photon generator for generating photons in response to receiving at least some of the same incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles as are received and detected by the charged particle detector; and

a photon detector for detecting photons generated by the photon generator,

wherein the charged particle detector comprises an electrode for receiving and detecting either incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles and the electrode is transparent to charged particles.

2. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the photon generator is for generating photons in response to receiving at least some of the same incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles as are received and detected by the charged particle detector which have passed through the transparent electrode.

3. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the photon generator is for generating photons in response to receiving more than 50% of the same incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles as are received and detected by the charged particle detector.

4. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the photon generator is for generating photons in response to receiving more than 75% of the same incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles as are received and detected by the charged particle detector.

5. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the photon generator is for generating photons in response to receiving more than 90% of the same incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles as are received and detected by the charged particle detector.

6. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the electrode comprises a conductive material associated with the photon generator.

7. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the conductive material comprises a conductive layer in contact with the photon generator.

8. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the conductive layer comprises a metal layer.

9. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the electrode is coupled to a digitiser or digital oscilloscope.

10. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein the electrode is capacitively coupled to the digitiser or digital oscilloscope.

11. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a secondary particle generator for generating secondary charged particles in response to receiving incoming charged particles;

wherein the charged particle detector is for receiving and detecting secondary charged particles generated by the secondary particle generator and the photon generator is for generating photons in response to receiving secondary charged particles generated by the secondary particle generator.

12. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the secondary particle generator is a secondary electron generator which comprises a conversion dynode, a discrete dynode SEM and/or a continuous dynode SEM; and wherein the photon generator comprises a scintillator; and the photon detector comprises a solid state photon detector.

13. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising ion optics for focusing the incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles and thereby varying the current of the incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles which impinge on the charged particle detector and/or the photon generator.

14. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the charged particle detector and the photon detector each comprise an output which is connected to a digitiser to generate digital data from each detector and the digitiser is connected to a computer for processing the data by joining the data generated from the charged particle detector and the data generated from photon detector so as to produce a joined data set.

15. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising two or more secondary particle generators and/or two or more charged particle detectors and/or two or more photon generators and/or two or more photon detectors.

16. A method of improving the dynamic range of detection for a TOF mass spectrometer comprising:

receiving incoming charged particles at a detection apparatus, the detection apparatus comprising:

at least two detectors of different gain, including:

a charged particle detector for receiving and detecting either incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles;

a photon generator for generating photons in response to receiving at least some of the same incoming charged particles or secondary charged particles generated from the incoming charged particles as are received and detected by the charged particle detector; and

a photon detector for detecting photons generated by the photon generator; and

detecting the incoming charged particles via the at least two detectors.