Charged particle beam system and method

A charged particle beam system, comprising:

• a first charged particle source configured to generate a first charged particle beam;
• a multi beam generator configured to generate a plurality of charged particle beamlets from the first charged particle beam, the plurality of charged particle beamlets comprising a first individual charged particle beamlet and a second individual charged particle beamlet, the multi beam generator comprising a first multi aperture plate comprising a plurality of holes configured to form the plurality of charged particle beamlets, the holes comprising a first hole having a first hole diameter and a second hole having a second hole diameter, the second hole diameter being bigger than the first hole diameter;
• an objective lens;
• a projective system;
• a sample stage;
• a detector system comprising a plurality of individual detectors, the plurality of individual detectors comprising a first individual detector and second individual detector;
• a control configured to control the operation of the multi beam generator, the objective lens and the projective system;
• a beam splitter arrangement upstream of the objective lens;
• a first single or double deflection system arranged between the charged particle source and the first multi aperture plate;
• and
• a second single or double deflection system arranged between the first multi aperture plate and the objective lens,
• wherein:
• the control has a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation which is different from the first mode of operation;
• in the first mode of operation of the control, the control is configured to control:
• i) the multi beam generator so that each individual charged particle beamlet of the plurality of charged particle beamlets is spatially separated from other charged particle beamlets of the plurality of charged particle beamlets;
• ii) the objective lens to focus incoming charged particle beamlets in a first plane so that a first region in which the first individual charged particle beamlet impinges in the first plane is spatially separated from a second region in which the second individual charged particle beamlet impinges in the first plane;
• iii) the projective system to image interaction products leaving the first region within the first plane due to impinging charged particles onto the first individual detector and to image interaction products leaving the second region in the first plane due to impinging charged particles onto the second individual detector;
• iv) the first single or double deflection system and the second single or double deflection systems so that the charged particle beam passes through the first hole;
• and
• v) the beam splitter to separate a primary beam path of the charged particle beamlets from a secondary beam path the interaction products;
• and
• in the second mode of operation of the control, the control is configured to control:
• i) operation of the multi beam generator in combination with the objective lens to provide a defocused charged particle beam in the first plane;
• and
• ii) the first single or double deflection system and the second single or double deflection systems so that the charged particle beam passes through the second hole.