Patent Number: 
Section: abstract

The invention provides a particle-optical device for irradiating an object with a beam of particles. The device comprises a housing in which are located positioning means 1 for positioning the object within the housing. The positioning means comprise a reference body 2 supported against a supporting portion of the housing and a kinematic system—which can be manipulated—with an object carrier 9 for manipulating the object held in the object carrier in at least one degree of freedom with respect to the reference body 2, the device further comprising control means and at least one combination 23,30 of a piezo-electric position actuator 25 and a piezo-electric force sensor 35, which actuator and sensor are positioned in series, whereby the control means—in dependence upon at least one input signal from at least one sensor—generates a control signal for at least that actuator associated with said sensor, characterized in that the series-positioned actuators and sensors of said at least one combination are positioned between the housing and the reference body, the support of the reference body against the supporting portion of the housing occurring via said at least one combination.