Patent ID: 8405045

Claim:
A particle beam device, comprising: a particle beam generator; an objective lens configured to focus a particle beam generated by the particle beam generator in an object plane, the objective lens defining an optical axis; and first and second deflection systems configured to deflect the particle beam in the object plane, the first and the second deflection systems being arranged in series along the optical axis, wherein: in a first operating mode, the first deflection system is configured to generate a first deflection field and the second deflection system is configured to generate a second deflection field, the first and the second deflection fields having a first angular orientation with respect to one another, the first and second deflection fields being aligned with respect to one another so that they jointly produce in the object plane a deflection of the particle beam in a first direction; in a second operating mode, the first deflection system is configured to generate a third deflection field and the second deflection system is configured to generate a fourth deflection field, the third and fourth deflection fields having a second angular orientation with respect to one another, the third and fourth deflection fields being aligned with respect to one another so that they jointly produce in the object plane a deflection of the particle beam in the first direction; and the second angular orientation is different from the first angular orientation.