While the sample is in a vacuum chamber of the particle beam system, a method comprises: processing the sample via an automatic supply in accordance with a process gas supply setting of at least one of a plurality of different process gases to the sample via a process gas supply device and via an activation of the supplied, at least one process gas by a particle beam of charged particles or a laser beam; measuring a property of the processed sample using a measuring device; modifying the process gas supply setting so that there is a change in a ratio of the quantities of the process gases to be supplied, on the basis of a measurement result obtained by the measurement; and continuing the processing of the sample using the modified process gas supply setting.

A method for changing a shape of a surface of an optical element by particle irradiation includes: modelling the problem of determining a resulting change of the surface shape of the optical element from a control variable; determining a predefinition for the control variable of the particle irradiation from a predefined desired change of a surface shape of the optical element by ascertaining an extremum of a merit function; and radiating particles onto the surface of the optical element with a locally resolved effect distribution corresponding to the determined predefinition for the control variable, for the purpose of producing local surface changes at the surface of the optical element. Ascertaining the extremum corresponds to the solution of an Euler equation. The Euler equation defines an integral operator. The eigenvalues of the integral operator are determined, and the predefinition is a linear combination of a finite number of eigenfunctions of the integral operator.

An ionic liquid ion source can include a microfabricated body including a base and a tip. The body can be formed of a porous material compatible with at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt. The body can have a pore size gradient that decreases from the base of the body to the tip of the body, such that the at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt is capable of being transported through capillarity from the base to the tip.

A method for operating a particle beam generator for a particle beam device, and a particle beam device for carrying out this method, are provided. An extractor voltage may be set to an extractor value using a first variable voltage supply unit. An emission current of the particle beam generator may be measured. When the emission current of the particle beam generator decreases, a suppressor voltage applied to a suppressor electrode may be adjusted using a second variable voltage supply unit such that a specific emission current of the particle beam generator is reached or maintained. When the emission current of the particle beam generator increases, the extractor voltage applied to the extractor electrode may be adjusted using the first variable voltage supply unit such that the specific emission current of the particle beam generator is reached or maintained.

An e-beam apparatus is disclosed, the tool comprising an electron optics system configured to project an e-beam onto an object, an object table to hold the object, and a positioning device configured to move the object table relative to the electron optics system. The positioning device comprises a short stroke stage configured to move the object table relative to the electron optics system and a long stroke stage configured to move the short stroke stage relative to the electron optics system. The e-beam apparatus further comprises a magnetic shield to shield the electron optics system from a magnetic disturbance generated by the positioning device. The magnetic shield may be arranged between the positioning device and the electron optics system.

A method for fabricating structures includes on a substrate includes providing the substrate having a substrate surface, and providing a set of control parameters to an ion beam source and to a thermal source corresponding to a desired structure topology. The method further includes using directed irradiation synthesis to cause self-organization of a plurality of structures comprising at least one of the group of nanostructures and microstructures in a first surface area of the substrate by exposing the substrate surface to an ion beam from the ion beam source and to thermal particles from the thermal source. The ion beam has a first area of effect on the substrate surface, and the thermal particles has a second area of effect on the substrate surface. Each of the first area of effect and the second area of effect including the first surface area.

An ionic liquid ion source can include a microfabricated body including a base and a tip. The body can be formed of a porous material compatible with at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt. The body can have a pore size gradient that decreases from the base of the body to the tip of the body, such that the at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt is capable of being transported through capillarity from the base to the tip.

An ion propulsion device including emission modules in an emission plane, each module having an insulating support, an emission electrode on the support, and a conductive liquid with a microfluidic channel depositing conductive liquid on the electrode; an extraction electrode common to the emission modules and facing the modules; and a control unit, in which each module is configured to emit an ion beam when an electric field is applied to the liquid; each control unit controls an ion emission current emitted by applying a potential difference between each emission electrode and the extraction electrode; the emission electrodes are spaced apart by a linear distance that is greater than a distance between two adjacent emission electrodes separated by an empty space; and a length of the insulating support between the electrodes is greater than a propagation distance of an electric leakage current by charge jumping along the support between the electrodes.

A charged particle beam device 1 includes analysis means performed by a controller when a sample holder HL holding a sample SAM is installed on a stage 23. The analysis means includes a step (a) of raising a degree of vacuum of each of an observation chamber 10 and a preprocessing chamber 20 by opening a gate valve VL5, opening a valve VL1, closing a valve VL2, and driving a vacuum pump 40, a step (b) of closing the gate valve VL5 and opening the valve VL2 after the step (a), and a step (c) of processing the sample SAM by radiating an ion beam from an ion source 22 to the sample SAM while performing vacuum exhaust of the preprocessing chamber 20 by the vacuum pump 40 after the step (b). The analysis means can process the sample SAM quickly after performing the vacuum exhaust of the preprocessing chamber 20 in a short time.

A method for processing a surface, having an initial topology, using a particle beam can include processing of the surface using the particle beam at a first angle of the particle beam with respect to the surface in accordance with a target topology of the surface. The method can furthermore include subsequent processing of the surface using the particle beam at a second angle of the particle beam with respect to the surface in accordance with the target topology of the surface, wherein the second angle differs from the first angle.