Particle beam system and the use thereof for flexibly setting the current intensity of individual particle beams

A particle beam system, comprising:

• a particle source configured to generate a divergent beam of charged particles having a beam path through the particle beam system;
• a condenser lens system configured so that the beam of charged particles passes through the condenser lens during use of the particle beam system;
• a pre-multi-lens array comprising a pre-counter electrode and a pre-multi-aperture plate, the pre-counter electrode comprising a central opening through which the beam of charged particles passes during use of the particle beam system, the pre-multi-aperture plate being arranged in the beam path downstream of the pre-counter electrode, the pre-multi-aperture plate being arranged so that the charged particles pass therethrough in the form of a multiplicity of charged individual particle beams during use of the particle beam system;
• a multi-lens array in the beam path downstream of the pre-multi-lens array, the multi-lens array comprising a multi-aperture plate and a counter electrode, the multi-aperture plate comprising a multiplicity of openings through which at least a portion of the charged individual particle beams pass during use of the particle beam system, and the counter electrode comprising a central opening disposed in the beam path downstream of the multi-aperture plate, the counter electrode being substantially passed through by the multiplicity of individual particle beams during use of the particle beam system;
• and
• a controller configured to supply adjustable excitations to the condenser lens system and the pre-counter electrode to control a current intensity of the individual particle beams so that, during use of the particle beam system, the beam of charged particles enters a global lens field of the pre-counter electrode in a convergent fashion or a divergent fashion and the beam of charged particles is incident on the pre-multi-aperture plate in telecentric fashion.