The sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (also sensitive high mass-resolution ion microprobe or SHRIMP) is a large-diameter, double-focusing secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) sector instrument produced by Australian Scientific Instruments in Canberra, Australia. Similar to the IMS 1270-1280-1300 large-geometry ion microprobes produced by CAMECA, Gennevilliers, France and like other SIMS instruments, the SHRIMP microprobe bombards a sample under vacuum with a beam of primary ions that sputters secondary ions that are focused, filtered, and measured according to their energy and mass. The SHRIMP is primarily used for geological and geochemical applications. It can measure the isotopic and elemental abundances in minerals at a 10 to 30 μm-diameter scale and with a depth resolution of 1–5 μm. Thus, SIMS method is well-suited for the analysis of complex minerals, as often found in metamorphic terrains, some igneous rocks, and for relatively rapid analysis of statistical valid sets of detrital minerals from sedimentary rocks. The most common application of the instrument is in uranium-thorium-lead geochronology, although the SHRIMP can be used to measure some other isotope ratio measurements (e.g., δ7Li or δ11B) and trace element abundances. History and scientific impact The SHRIMP originated in 1973 with a proposal by Prof. Bill Compston, trying to build an ion microprobe at the Research School of Earth Sciences of the Australian National University that exceeded the sensitivity and resolution of ion probes available at the time in order to analyse individual mineral grains. Optic designer Steve Clement based the prototype instrument (now referred to as 'SHRIMP-I') on a design by Matsuda which minimised aberrations in transmitting ions through the various sectors. The instrument was built from 1975 and 1977 with testing and redesigning from 1978. The first successful geological applications occurred in 1980. The first major scientific impact was the discovery of Hadean (>4000 million year old) zircon grains at Mt. Narryer in Western Australia and then later at the nearby Jack Hills. These results and the SHRIMP analytical method itself were initially questioned but subsequent conventional analysis were partially confirmed. SHRIMP-I also pioneered ion microprobe studies of titanium, hafnium and sulfur isotopic systems. Growing interest from commercial companies and other academic research groups, notably Prof. John de Laeter of Curtin University (Perth, Western Australia), led to the project in 1989 to build a commercial version of the instrument, the SHRIMP-II, in association with ANUTECH, the Australian National University's commercial arm. Refined ion optic designs in the