Patent ID: 7348552

Claim:
A method for the production of a multipolar electrode configuration ( 1 ) for focussing or mass filtration of a beam of charged particles, whereby the configuration comprises a number of elongated electrodes ( 2 ) which are orientated parallel to an axis, whereby the method comprises the following steps: a) attaching number of round-pole shaped electrode blanks ( 9 )—but only a fraction of the total number of electrodes ( 2 ) required for a number of said electrode configuration ( 1 )—to one or a number of support elements ( 4 ), b) simultaneous processing of the end parts ( 6 ) of the support element(s) ( 4 ) and of the electrode blanks ( 9 ) attached to this (these) support element(s) ( 4 ) in one process step in such a way that each electrode blank ( 9 ) is processed into an electrode ( 2 ) with a cross section, having a circular section (KA) and a non-circular, preferably substantially hyperbolical section (HA), and at the end of said simultaneous processing the support element(s) ( 4 ) having two differently shaped end parts ( 6 ), whereby the respective shapes of said end parts ( 6 ) are adapted to each other, c) the steps a) and b) are carried out multiple times until the number of electrodes ( 2 ) required for the electrode configuration ( 1 ) has been provided, whereby in step a) one or a number of support elements ( 4 ) can respectively be used for attachment, and d) the support elements ( 4 ) together with the attached electrodes ( 2 ) are fitted together in such a way, that multiple support elements ( 4 ) forming one or multiple closed support bodies ( 5 ), that consist of multiple parts, which are enclosing the electrodes ( 2 ).