Charged particle apparatus, method of projecting charged particles, method of assessing a sample

The apparatus of claim wherein the shielded charged particle-optical element is connected to the facing electrode via the first spacer element.

The apparatus of claim wherein the first spacer element contacts a major surface of the facing electrode on a side of the facing electrode closest to the sample and/or the first spacer element contacts the facing electrode on a peripheral minor surface of the facing electrode.

The apparatus of claim wherein the first spacer element is spaced apart from the facing electrode.

A method of projecting charged particles toward a sample, the method comprising:

• using a charged particle-optical device to project beams of a multi-beam of the charged particles along a plurality of paths toward the sample, the charged particle-optical device comprising a plurality of charged particle-optical elements that define an objective lens and in which are defined a plurality of apertures along the paths of the beams;
• and
• maintaining at least two of the charged particle-optical elements at different potentials and at least one of the charged particle-optical elements at ground potential during the projecting of the beams toward the sample.