Detection of small bunches of ions using image charges

A concept for detection of charged particles in a single fly-by, e.g. within an ion optical system for deterministic implantation, is presented. It is based on recording the image charge signal of ions moving through a detector, comprising a set of cylindrical electrodes. This work describes theoretical and practical aspects of image charge detection (ICD) and detector design and its application in the context of real time ion detection. It is shown how false positive detections are excluded reliably, although the signal-to-noise ratio is far too low for time-domain analysis. This is achieved by applying a signal threshold detection scheme in the frequency domain, which - complemented by the development of specialised low-noise preamplifier electronics - will be the key to developing single ion image charge detection for deterministic implantation.