Particle beam irradiation system

• US 7,807,982 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nishiuchi, Hideaki, Saito, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanore; David A
• Application Number:
  US11/692,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20070228304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 250/492.2
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1043 Scanning the radiation beam, e.g. spot scanning or raster scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/10 Scattering devices; Absorbing devices; Ionising radiation filters
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/04 with beam-forming means
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 7/10 Arrangements for ejecting particles from orbits

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a charged particle beam extraction method and particle beam irradiation system that make it possible to exercise intensity control over an extracted ion beam while a simple device configuration is employed. To accomplish the above object, there is provided a particle beam irradiation system comprising: a synchrotron for accelerating and extracting an charged particle beam; an irradiation apparatus for extracting the charged particle beam that is extracted from the synchrotron; first beam intensity modulation means for controlling the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from the synchrotron during an extraction control period of an operation cycle of the synchrotron; and second beam intensity modulation means for controlling the beam intensity during each of a plurality of irradiation periods contained in the extraction control period of the operation cycle.

Claims

1. A particle beam irradiation system comprising:

a synchrotron for accelerating and extracting a charged particle beam;

an irradiation apparatus for radiating the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron; and

an extraction control apparatus for controlling extraction of the charged particle beam from said synchrotron;

said extraction control apparatus including;

first beam intensity modulation means for controlling the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron during an extraction control period of an operation cycle of said synchrotron; and

second beam intensity modulation means for controlling the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron during each of a plurality of irradiation periods contained in the extraction control period of the operation cycle.

2. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein said irradiation apparatus has a rotatable energy modulator whose axial direction thickness varies with the direction of rotation, and wherein said second beam intensity modulation means controls the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron in accordance with the rotation angle of the energy modulator.

3. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 2, further comprising:

an angle detector for detecting the rotation angle of the energy modulator;

origin point detection means for detecting the origin points of the energy modulator; and

a storage device for storing the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron, which corresponds to the axial direction thickness relative to the angles from a plurality of origin points of the energy modulator,

wherein said second beam intensity modulation means selects the beam intensity from the storage device in accordance with the rotation angle from the angle detector relative to a detection signal from the origin point detection means, and controls the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron in accordance with the selected beam intensity.

4. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein said irradiation apparatus has a rotatable energy modulator whose axial direction thickness varies with the direction of rotation, and wherein said second beam intensity modulation means provides control to vary the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron in accordance with the thickness of the energy modulator while the charged particle beam is radiated.

5. A particle beam irradiation system comprising:

a synchrotron for accelerating and extracting a charged particle beam;

an irradiation apparatus for radiating the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron; and

an extraction control apparatus for controlling extraction of the charged particle beam from said synchrotron;

said extraction control apparatus including;

a first beam intensity modulator which controls the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron during an extraction control period of an operation cycle of said synchrotron; and

a second beam intensity modulator which controls the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron during each of a plurality of irradiation periods contained in the extraction control period of the operation cycle.

6. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 5, wherein said irradiation apparatus has a rotatable energy modulator whose axial direction thickness varies with the direction of rotation, and wherein said second beam intensity modulator controls the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron in accordance with the rotation angle of the energy modulator.

7. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 6, further comprising:

an angle detector which detects the rotation angle of the energy modulator;

origin point detector which detects the origin points of the energy modulator; and

a storage device for storing the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron, which corresponds to the axial direction thickness relative to the angles from a plurality of origin points of the energy modulator,

wherein said second beam intensity modulator selects the beam intensity from the storage device in accordance with the rotation angle from the angle detector relative to a detection signal from the origin point detector, and controls the beam intensity of the charged particle beam extracted from said synchrotron in accordance with the selected beam intensity.

8. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 5, wherein said irradiation apparatus has a rotatable energy modulator whose axial direction thickness varies with the direction of rotation, and wherein said second beam intensity modulator provides control to vary the beam intensity in accordance with the thickness of the energy modulator while the charged particle beam is radiated.