Patent ID: 8598525

Claim:
Particle beam system, comprising: a particle beam source for generating a particle beam; an objective lens for focusing the particle beam onto an object plane, wherein the objective lens comprises a focal length and an optical axis; a scintillator arrangement, which comprises an electron receiving surface facing the object plane and which is arranged such that it is exposed to electrons, which emanate from the object plane, wherein the scintillator arrangement further comprises a light exit face, wherein the scintillator arrangement is configured such that light rays which are generated by electrons, which are incident on the electron receiving surface leave the scintillator arrangement at the light exit face; wherein at least one of the following conditions holds: a first distance measured parallel to the optical axis between the electron receiving surface and the light exit face is greater than 0.2 times, or greater than 0.4 times the focal length of the objective lens, or greater than the focal length of the objective lens; the electron receiving surface, when measured along a direction parallel to the optical axis, is located closer to the object plane than a principal plane of the objective lens; and the light exit face, when measured along the direction parallel to the optical axis, is located at a greater distance from the object plane than the principal plane of the objective lens; the scintillator arrangement comprises a light guide body having a maximum cross-sectional area perpendicular to the optical axis, which is at least two times greater than an area of a projection of the electron receiving surface onto a plane perpendicular to the optical axis; or a maximum cross-sectional extent of the light guide body perpendicular to the optical axis is smaller than a second distance measured parallel to the optical axis between a location on the electron receiving surface which is closest to the object plans and a plane of the maximum cross-sectional extent.