Electrode structure for guiding a charged particle beam

Abstract

An electrode structure for guiding and, for example, for splitting a beam of charged particles, for example an electron beam, along a longitudinal path has multipole electrode arrangements that are spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal path and that have DC voltage electrodes. The electrode arrangements are configured to generate static multipole fields centered around the path in transverse planes oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal path, wherein the field strengths of the static multipole fields in the transverse planes each have a local minimum at the location of the path and increase as the distance from the location of the path increases. Field directions of the static multipole fields vary periodically with a period length along the path so that the particles propagating along the path are subjected to an inhomogeneous alternating electric field due to their intrinsic movement and experience a transverse return force towards the longitudinal path on average over time.