Particle beam device and method for use in a particle beam device

A particle beam device, comprising:

• at least one particle beam column for providing a particle beam, the at least one particle beam column having an optical axis;
• at least one carrier element;
• and
• at least one receiving element for receiving a specimen, the receiving element being removably connected to the carrier element,
• wherein the receiving element, by removal from the carrier element and subsequent connection to the carrier element, is brought into at least one position in which a specimen is irradiated using a particle beam.

A system for receiving one or more specimens, comprising:

• at least one carrier element that is movable in three spatial directions situated perpendicular to one another, and is rotatable around a first axis and a second axis, which is perpendicular to the first axis;
• at least one first receiving element having a first receptacle axis for receiving a first specimen;
• and
• at least one second receiving element having a second receptacle axis for receiving a second specimen, wherein the first receptacle axis and the second receptacle axis are situated offset to one another by an angle in the range of 10° to 90°.

A method for studying or preparing a specimen, comprising:

• disposing a first specimen on a first receiving element of a carrier element in a vacuum chamber, the carrier element being movable in three spatial directions situated perpendicular to one another and the carrier element being rotatable around a first axis, which is situated parallel to the optical axis of a particle beam device or corresponds to the optical axis, and around a second axis, which is situated perpendicular to the optical axis;
• moving the carrier element into at least one first position, a second specimen being extracted from the first specimen in the first position;
• disposing the second specimen on a second receiving element of the carrier element;
• and
• moving the carrier element into at least one second position, in which the second specimen is irradiated,
• wherein the first receiving element and the second receiving element are moved in at least one of:
• the same spatial direction and around the same axis by the movement of the carrier element.

A method for studying or preparing a specimen, comprising:

• arranging a first specimen on one of two receiving elements of a carrier element in a vacuum chamber, the carrier element being movable in three spatial directions situated perpendicular to one another and the carrier element being rotatable around a first axis, which is situated parallel to the optical axis of a particle beam device or corresponds to the optical axis, and around a second axis, which is situated perpendicular to the optical axis;
• moving the carrier element into at least one first position, the first specimen being prepared in the first position;
• and
• moving the carrier element into at least one second position in which the first specimen is studied,
• wherein the first receiving element and the second receiving element are moved in at least one of:
• the same spatial direction and around the same axis by the movement of the carrier element.