Just as Laser eye surgery has restored fading human vision, new technologies are needed to improve ion "chemical vision" detection.

This article reviews current mass spectra (MS) detector technology and provides a glimpse of what scientists hope future detectors will be capable of. The technology of MS can be divided into three processes: ion generation, ion separation, and ion detection. Ion generation and separation have received significant and focused attention. The first prevalent MS ionization source, the electron impact source, has given way to a variety of other specialized ionization sources, for example, spark source, thermal ionization, chemical ionization, fast-atom bombardment, secondary ion, and glow discharge. Ion detection technology, by contrast, has received less attention. Traditional analog and electron multiplier detectors have been used for decades. Advances in this technology have occurred, but they have been incremental rather than revolutionary. Very few new detection approaches have been devised. In addition, detector technology is often given brief or no mention in MS texts and reviews. Thus, it has remained an area of rather understated importance, despite the fundamental need to better understand ions.