Ion beam focusing lens method and apparatus used in conjunction with a charged particle cancer therapy system
First Claim
1. An apparatus for focusing negative ions in an injector, said injector injecting the particle beam into an accelerator of an irradiation device, said irradiation device irradiating a tumor during use, said apparatus comprising:
- a negative ion source configured to produce the negative ions in a negative ion beam path;
an ion beam focusing lens, comprising;
a first focusing electrode circumferentially surrounding the negative ion beam path;
a second focusing electrode comprising metal conductive paths at least partially blocking the negative ion beam path;
wherein first electric field lines run between said first focusing electrode and said second focusing electrode,wherein the negative ions encounter first force vectors running up the first electric field lines that focus the negative ions.
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Abstract
The invention comprises an ion beam focusing method and apparatus used as part of an ion beam injection system, which is used in conjunction with multi-axis charged particle or proton beam radiation therapy of cancerous tumors. The ion beam focusing system includes two or more electrodes where one electrode of each electrode pair partially obstructs the ion beam path with conductive paths, such as a conductive mesh. In a given electrode pair, electric field lines, running between the conductive mesh of a first electrode and a second electrode, provide inward forces focusing the negative ion beam. Multiple such electrode pairs provide multiple negative ion beam focusing regions.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for focusing negative ions in an injector, said injector injecting the particle beam into an accelerator of an irradiation device, said irradiation device irradiating a tumor during use, said apparatus comprising:
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a negative ion source configured to produce the negative ions in a negative ion beam path; an ion beam focusing lens, comprising; a first focusing electrode circumferentially surrounding the negative ion beam path; a second focusing electrode comprising metal conductive paths at least partially blocking the negative ion beam path; wherein first electric field lines run between said first focusing electrode and said second focusing electrode, wherein the negative ions encounter first force vectors running up the first electric field lines that focus the negative ions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for focusing negative ions in an irradiation device, said irradiation device irradiating a tumor during use, said method comprising the steps of:
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producing the negative ions in a negative ion beam path with a negative ion source, focusing the negative ions using first electric field lines in an ion beam focusing lens, said step of focusing further comprising the steps of; circumferentially surrounding the negative ion beam path with a first focusing electrode; providing a second focusing electrode, said second focusing electrode comprising metal conductive paths at least partially blocking the negative ion beam path; wherein first electric field lines run between said first focusing electrode and said second focusing electrode, and wherein the negative ions encounter first force vectors running up the first electric field lines that focus the negative ions. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for delivering charged particles in a negative ion beam path of an injector in an irradiation device as a charged particle beam accelerated in a synchrotron, said apparatus comprising:
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an ion beam focusing lens, comprising; a first focusing electrode circumferentially surrounding the negative ion beam path; a second focusing electrode comprising metal conductive paths at least partially blocking the negative ion beam path; wherein first electric field lines run between said first focusing electrode and said second focusing electrode, wherein the charged encounter first force vectors running up the first electric field lines yielding focused charged particles. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification