Patent ID: 8710451

Claim:
An ion beam system having an ion beam path, the system comprising: a voltage supply system; an ion beam source configured to generate an ion beam; an acceleration electrode traversed by the ion beam path and electrically connected to the voltage supply system, wherein the voltage supply system is configured to supply an adjustable acceleration voltage to the acceleration electrode; and plural beam deflectors positioned downstream of the acceleration electrode in the ion beam path; wherein the plural beam deflectors comprise: plural pairs of deflection electrodes distributed along the ion beam path and electrically connected to the voltage supply system, wherein the plural pairs of deflection electrodes comprise first, second, third, and fourth pairs of deflection electrodes, wherein the pairs of deflection electrodes each have a first electrode disposed on a first side of the ion beam path and a second electrode disposed on a second side of the ion beam path, opposite to the first side; wherein the ion beam system has first and second modes of operation; and wherein the voltage supply system is configured, in the first mode of operation, to accelerate ions of the ion beam to a first kinetic energy and to deflect the ion beam by applying voltages to the first and second pairs of deflection electrodes such that the voltages applied to the first and second electrodes of each of the first and second pairs have opposite polarity and such that the voltage applied to the first electrode of the first pair and the voltage applied to the first electrode of the second pair have opposite polarity; and, in the second mode of operation, to accelerate the ions of the ion beam to a second kinetic energy which is greater than the first kinetic energy, and to deflect the ion beam by applying voltages to the first, second, third and fourth pairs of deflection electrodes such that the voltages applied to the first and second electrodes of each of the first, second, third and fourth pairs have opposite polarity and such that the voltage applied to the first electrodes of the first and second pairs and the voltage applied to the first electrodes of the third and fourth pairs have opposite polarity.