Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam with a z-axis along an optical axis, comprisinga first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in an x-z-plane, being a first Wien filter, and having a first z-position z1;a second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in the x-z-plane, being a second Wien filter, and having a second z-position z2;a charged particle selection element with a z-position between z1 and z2;a focusing element with a z-position between z1 and z2, wherein the charged particle selection element has substantially the same z-position as the focusing element, and wherein the charged particle selection element is adapted to be a charged particle energy dependent selection element. 2. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 1, wherein the z-positions of the charged particle selection element and the focusing element are essentially the middle of the z-positions z1 and z2. 3. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according claim 1, wherein the charged particle selection element is a slit. 4. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle selection element has at least one property selected from the group consisting of a variable selection width and a variable position. 5. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle selection element has at least one property selected from the group consisting of a fixed selection width and a fixed position. 6. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle selection element comprises a knife edge. 7. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 1, wherein the focusing element is suitable for focusing in a y-z-plane. 8. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 7, wherein the focusing element is an astigmatic focusing element, suitable for focusing in the y-z-plane and defocusing or not focusing in the x-z-plane. 9. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 3, wherein the slit of the energy selection element extends essentially in a y-direction. 10. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 8, wherein the focusing element includes an electrostatic cylinder lens in decel mode. 11. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 8, wherein the focusing element includes an electrostatic quadrupole in decel mode. 12. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 1, wherein the focusing element is suitable for focusing stigmatically and the projection of the charged particle beam in the x-z-plane crosses the optical axis of the charged particle beam energy width reduction system in the center of the focusing element. 13. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 12, wherein the focusing element includes an electrostatic round lens in decel mode. 14. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 1, further comprising: a first quadrupole element; and a second quadrupole element. 15. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 14, wherein the first quadrupole element acts in a focusing or defocusing manner in the x-z-plane, and the second quadrupole element acts in a focusing or defocusing manner in the x-z-plane. 16. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 15, wherein the first quadrupole element is positioned so that the field of the first quadrupole element essentially superimposes with the field of the first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner; and the second quadrupole element is positioned so that the field of the second quadrupole element essentially superimposes with the field of the second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner. 17. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 16, wherein the first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner and the first quadrupole element are formed by one multipole element and the second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner and the second quadrupole element are formed by one multipole element. 18. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 17, wherein additional deflection or aberration correction elements are superimposed in the multipole elements. 19. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle beam reduction system is a straight vision system. 20. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 19, wherein the energy width reduction system is an energy width reduction system for a primary charged particle beam. 21. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 1, wherein the charged particle beam energy width reduction system is a retarding field energy width reduction system. 22. Charged particle beam device comprising a charged particle beam energy width reduction systems according to claim 1. 23. Charged particle beam device according to claim 22, wherein a magnification lens illuminates the charged particle beam energy width reduction system. 24. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system positioned prior to an objective lens for a charged particle beam with a z-axis along an optical axis, comprising:a first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in an x-z-plane, being a first Wien filter, and having a first z-position z1;a second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in the x-z-plane, being a second Wien filter, and having a second z-position z2;a charged particle selection element with a z-position between z1 and z2;a focusing element with a z-position between z1 and z2,wherein the charged particle selection element has substantially the same z-position as the focusing element. 25. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according claim 24, wherein the charged particle selection element is a slit. 26. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 24, wherein the charged particle selection element comprises a knife edge. 27. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 24, wherein the focusing element is suitable for focusing in a y-z-plane. 28. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 27, wherein the focusing element includes an electrostatic cylinder lens in decel mode. 29. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 27, wherein the focusing element includes an electrostatic quadrupole in decel mode. 30. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 24, wherein the focusing element is suitable for focusing stigmatically and the projection of the charged particle beam in the x-z-plane crosses the optical axis of the charged particle beam energy width reduction system in the center of the focusing element. 31. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 30, wherein the focusing element includes an electrostatic round lens in decel mode. 32. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 24, further comprising:a first quadrupole element; anda second quadrupole element, wherein the first quadrupole element acts in a focusing or defocusing manner in the x-z-plane; and wherein the second quadrupole element acts in a focusing or defocusing manner in the x-z-plane. 33. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 32, wherein the first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner and the first quadrupole element are formed by one multipole element and the second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner and the second quadrupole element are formed by one multipole element. 34. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 24, wherein the energy width reduction system is an energy width reduction system for a primary charged particle beam. 35. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 24, wherein the charged particle beam energy width reduction system is a retarding field energy width reduction system. 36. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system with a z-axis along an optical axis comprising:a first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in a x-z-plane, being a first Wien filter element, and having a first z-position z1;a second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in the x-z-plane, being a second Wien filter element, and having a second z-position z2;a charged particle selection element with a z-position essentially in the middle of z1 and z2;a first quadrupole element acting in a defocusing manner in the x-z-plane;a second quadrupole element acting in a defocusing manner in the x-z-plane;wherein the first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner, the second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner, the first quadrupole element, the second quadrupole element, and the charged particle selection element are positioned to allow a stigmatic and dispersion-free imaging of the trespassing charged particles, and wherein the charged particle selection element is adapted to be a charged particle energy dependent selection element. 37. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 36 wherein the first and the second elements acting in a focusing and dispersive manner have essentially a symmetrical position with regard to the center plane of the system; and wherein the first and the second quadrupole elements have essentially a symmetrical position with regard to the center plane of the system. 38. Charged particle beam energy width reduction system according to claim 36, further comprising:a focusing element with a z-position between z1 and z2;andwherein the first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner, the second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner, the first quadrupole element, the second quadrupole element, the charged particle selection element, and the focusing element are positioned to allow a stigmatic and dispersion-free imaging of the trespassing charged particles. 39. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam comprising a z-axis along an optical axis, comprising:providing a first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in a x-z-plane, being a first Wien filter element, at a z-position z1;providing a second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in the x-z- plane, being a second Wien filter element, at a z-position z2;providing a charged particle selection element with a z-position between Z1 and z2; andproviding a focusing element at substantially the same z-position as the charged particle selection element;exciting the first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner so that charged particles with a nominal energy pass through the charged particle selection element and the center of the focusing element;exciting the second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner;exciting the focusing element so that an essentially stigmatic imaging is obtained, andselecting charged particles with the charged particle selection element. 40. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam according to claim 39, further comprising:exciting a first quadrupole element to substitute a desired portion of the focusing effect of the first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner and exciting a second quadrupole element to substitute a desired portion of the focusing effect of the second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner. 41. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam according to claim 40, further comprising:adjusting the dispersion depending on the excitation of the elements acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in relation to the excitation of the quadrupole elements. 42. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy Width reduction system for a charged particle beam according to claim 39, further comprising:adjusting a beam current depending on the excitation of the elements acting in a focusing and dispersive manner in relation to the excitation of quadrupole elements. 43. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam according to claim 39, wherein the charged particle selection element is provided with a z-position essentially acting in a focusing and dispersive manner is excited to obtain an essentially symmetric imaging in the x-z-plane. 44. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam, comprising a z-axis along an optical axis, a first element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner, being a first Wien filter element, at a z-position z1, a second element acting in a focusing and dispersive manner, being a second Wien filter element, at a z-position z2, a charged particle selection element, a first quadrupole element, and a second quadrupole element, comprising:exciting the first Wien filter to act in a focusing and dispersive manner in a x-z-plane so that charged particles with a nominal energy pass through the energy selection element;exciting the second Wien filter to act in a focusing and dispersive manner in the x-z-plane;exciting the first and the second quadrupole elements to act in an imaging manner in the x-z-plane; andselecting charged particles with the charged particle selection element essentially in the middle of z1 and z2. 45. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam according to claim 44, wherein the first Wien filter element and the second Wien filter element are excited so that the combination of the field of the first Wien filter element and the field of the second Wien filter element result in an essentially symmetric imaging in the x-z-plane; and exciting the first and the second quadrupole element so that the combination of the field of the first quadrupole element and the field of the second quadrupole element result in an essentially symmetric imaging in a y-z-plane. 46. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam according to claim 45 further comprising: exciting the first and the second Wien filter elements and the first and the second quadrupole elements so that a stigmatic imaging is obtained. 47. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam according to claim 44, further comprising the step of:exciting a focusing element positioned between z1 and z2 so that an essentially stigmatic imaging is obtained. 48. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam according to claim 44, further comprising: exciting a first quadrupole element to obtain a desired focusing effect combined of the first quadrupole element charged particle beam deflection and the first Wien filter element charged particle beam deflection and exciting a second quadrupole element to obtain a desired focusing effect combined of the second quadrupole element charged particle beam deflection and the second Wien filter element charged particle beam deflection; wherein the desired focusing effect is defined by a beam path so that the charged particles with a nominal energy pass through the energy selection element. 49. Method of operating a charged particle beam energy width reduction system for a charged particle beam according to claim 44, wherein the first and second elements acting in a focusing and dispersive manner and the first and second quadrupole elements are excited to one of a plurality of discrete values.