Invented in 1989, the three-dimensional atom probe (3DAP) is the evolutionary descendant of the one-dimensional atom probe, which was invented in 1968 by Müller, Panitz and McLane at Penn State University. The 1DAP itself was an off-shoot of the Field Ion Microscope (FIM), which was invented in 1955. On October 11 of that year, under the direction of Prof. Müller and Kanwar Bahdur, the FIM became the first instrument to allow humans to observe individual atoms.

Despite being described as the ultimate analytical technique, the 3DAP saw use only by a small handful of scientists due to the difficulty of specimen preparation and a dearth of statistically valid data. The 3DAP could only analyze incredibly small - 10nm X 10nm X 20-30nm - specimen volumes, and more difficult still, these specimens had to be in the shape of four- to five-millimeter long needles. To compound matters, the 3DAP was distressingly slow. Experiments taking up to a week were not uncommon, even though they frequently yielded sparse useful information.

In the early '90s, Professor Osamu Nishikawa developed the concept of a scanning atom microscope. While in theory this technique would speed analysis and allow the use of a flat surface for specimen preparation, its practical use faced a major obstacle. The instrument's mass resolution - the ability to recognize adjacent elements on the periodic table - was poor.

Imago's proprietary local electrode technology has solved the problems associated with these previous techniques, finally bringing the instrument for widespread commercial use.