Patent ID: 7084406

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting position information contained in a beam of charged particles, comprising: a plurality of detectors, each detector being a position-sensitive detector having a detection area that is two-dimensional, each detector supplying an image containing position information of a position-dependent distribution of intensity, integrated in terms of time, of charged particles impinging on a detection area of said detector; an optical imaging system for imaging an object disposable in an object plane of the optical imaging system, or for imaging an intermediate image of an object, by means of the beam of charged particles, wherein the optical imaging system is configured to image at least a partial region of an object on the detection area of a given one of said detectors, wherein the partial region of the object is two-dimensional such that the two-dimensional partial region of the object is imaged on the two-dimensional detection area of to given detector; an illumination system for supplying energy to an entire two-dimensional area of the partial region of the object simultaneously such that the charged particles emanate from positions in the partial region and are directed through the optical imaging system to the detection area of the given detector; a control system configured to receive images supplied by the detectors; and a deflector configured to direct the beam of charged particles to a detection area of a first detector selectable from the plurality of detectors, the deflector being controllable by the control system to select the first detector from the plurality of detectors to which the beam of charged particles is to be directed, wherein the first detector does not integrate intensity of charged particles impinging on its detection area during the dead time (t T ), and wherein the deflector is controllable by the control system to direct, during the dead time (t T ), the beam of charged particle to a detection area of a second detector of the plurality of detectors, which is different from the first detector, and wherein imaging and integrating associated with the second detector both occur during transmission of a first image from the first detector to a memory.