FIG. 9 depicts an electron optics system 900, a positioning device 910 to position the object held by the object table 920 relative to the electron optics system 900, an object table 920 to hold the object. The positioning device 910 comprises the short stroke stage 912 to position the object table 920 and the long stroke stage 911 to position the short stroke stage 912 and the object table 920. A mechanical gravity compensator 930 is provided. The mechanical gravity compensator 930 may comprise a spring, such as one of more coil springs. The coil springs may be provided with an equal number of windings in opposite directions, e.g., in clockwise and in counter clockwise directions to at least reduce spring torsion under suppression of the spring, thus to avoid a disturbance force by torsion onto the positioning device 910, which could influence a positioning accuracy of the positioning device 910. Alternatively, other non-magnetic gravity compensators may be provided, such as a pneumatic gravity compensator or a shielded magnetic gravity compensator.

In case the positioning device 910 comprises the short stroke stage 912 to position the object table and the long stroke stage 911 to position the short stroke stage 912 and the object table 920, the gravity compensator 930 may be comprised in, e.g. integrated in, the short stroke stage 912, thus to provide a compact configuration whereby the gravity compensator 930 acts on the mass to be compensated with a short force path.