A beam shaping device (112, 512, 712, 912) for use in a charged-particle multi-beam processing apparatus for exposure of a target, with a plurality of beams of electrically charged particles, said charged-particle multi-beam processing apparatus comprising a plurality of particle-optical columns arranged parallel along a Z direction and configured for directing a respective particle beam towards the target, wherein each particle-optical column comprises: - an illumination system, - a beam shaping device (112, 512, 712, 912), and - a projection optics system, the illumination system being configured to produce a respective beam and form it into a substantially telecentric beam illuminating the shaping means, the beam shaping device (112, 512, 712, 912) being configured to form the shape of the illuminating beam into a desired pattern composed of a multitude of sub-beams, and the projection optics system being configured to project an image of the beam shape defined in the shaping means onto the target, wherein said beam shaping device (112, 512, 712, 912) includes - an aperture array device (520, 720, 320) provided with an array of apertures, said array of apertures comprising a multitude of apertures, each of which defines the shape of a respective sub-beam having a nominal path towards the target, and - a deflection array device (530, 730, 330), configured to deflect selected sub-beams off their respective nominal path so that sub-beams thus selected do not reach the target, wherein the beam shaping device (112, 512, 712, 912) is provided with - a first field-boundary device (510, 710, 110) as the first element of the beam shaping device traversed by the beam, the first field-boundary device having a first surface (513, 713) oriented towards the illumination system, - a second field-boundary device (540, 740, 140) as the last element of the beam shaping device traversed by the beam, the second field-boundary device having a second surface (514, 714) oriented towards the projection optics system, and - means for holding said first and second field-boundary devices at a common electrical potential, at least one of the first and second field-boundary devices delimiting a field-free space interval (h1, h2) within the beam shaping device (112, 512, 712), said field-free space interval being configured to accommodate feeding lines (101,104) for controlling the deflection array device of the beam shaping device. - an illumination system, - a beam shaping device (112, 512, 712, 912), and - a projection optics system, - an aperture array device (520, 720, 320) provided with an array of apertures, said array of apertures comprising a multitude of apertures, each of which defines the shape of a respective sub-beam having a nominal path towards the target, and - a deflection array device (530, 730, 330), configured to deflect selected sub-beams off their respective nominal path so that sub-beams thus selected do not reach the target, - a first field-boundary device (510, 710, 110) as the first element of the beam shaping device traversed by the beam, the first field-boundary device having a first surface (513, 713) oriented towards the illumination system, - a second field-boundary device (540, 740, 140) as the last element of the beam shaping device traversed by the beam, the second field-boundary device having a second surface (514, 714) oriented towards the projection optics system, and - means for holding said first and second field-boundary devices at a common electrical potential,