JP2020115137A - System and method for providing an ion beam - Google Patents

Abstract

SOLUTION: A proton beam generation system may include an electromagnetic radiation beam guided onto an ion generation target. A detector may be constituted so as to measure a laser-target interaction that a processor could use in order to generate a feedback for adjusting the proton beam. In order to filter the energy of a pulsed ion beam and/or provide pulsed ion radiation at a desired time, the system may include an electromagnet and an automatized switch.EFFECT: The present system controls the relative movement between a proton beam and a patient including the penetration depth of the proton beam and thereby could be used for treating the patient by proton therapy, the size, complexity and cost of proton beam generation being reduced while improving its speed, accuracy and composability. In this case, these systems enable a shorter treatment time, a higher patient throughput, a more accurate treatment of a desired area, and a fewer incidental damage to health and tissue.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Explanation
[001] The disclosed embodiments relate generally to improved ion beam production, including proton beam production, and specifically to ion beam production via interaction between an electromagnetic radiation beam and an ion production target.

background
[002] Aspects of the disclosure include numerous systems, subsystems, components and subcomponents. No known background details are repeated herein. Such background information can be found in the following sources:
U.S. Pat. No. 8,229,075 to Cowan et al., entitled "Targets and Processes for Fabricating Same," issued July 24, 2012,
-US Patent No. 8,389,954 to Zigler et al., entitled "System for Fast Ions Generation and a Method Thereof," issued March 5, 2013,
U.S. Patent No. 8,530,852 to Le Galloudec entitled "Micro-Cone Targets for Producing High Energy and Low Divergence Particle Beams", issued September 10, 2013,
U.S. Patent No. 8,750,459 to Cowan et al., entitled "Targets and Processes for Fabricating Same," issued June 10, 2014,
-US Patent No. 9,236,215 to Zigler et al., entitled "System for Fast Ions Generation and a Method Thereof," issued January 12, 2016,
US Pat. No. 9,345,119 to Adams et al., entitled “Targets and Processes for Fabricating Same,” issued May 17, 2016,
And may include the information contained in US Pat. No. 9,530,605 to Nahum et al., entitled "Laser Activated Magnetic Field Manipulation of Laser Driven Ion Beams," issued December 27, 2016.

[003] Particle radiation therapy carried out by ions can be used to treat diseases. In one form of particle therapy called proton therapy, tumors are treated by irradiation with protons (eg, hydrogen ions). Proton therapy has advantages over conventional photon-based therapies (eg, X-ray and γ-ray therapies) due in part to the way the protons and photons interact with the tissue of the patient.

[004] Figure 1 shows radiation dose as a function of tissue depth in both photon and proton therapy. Before the particles can irradiate the treatment volume 106 defined by the patient's treatment plan, the particles typically must traverse the patient's skin and other healthy tissue before reaching the patient's treatment volume 106. I have to. When doing this, the particles can damage healthy tissue, which is an unwanted side effect of treatment. As shown in curve 102 of FIG. 1, photons (eg, x-rays) deliver a majority of their energy to a region near the patient's skin. In the case of deeper tumors in the patient's body, this interaction can damage healthy tissue. In addition, some photons also traverse the patient's body beyond the treatment volume 106, thereby causing still healthier tissue behind the tumor before eventually leaving the other side of the patient's body. Irradiate. The radiation dose to these other healthy tissues is lower than the dose delivered in the vicinity of the patient's skin, but this is still undesirable.

[005] Unlike photons, protons exhibit highly desirable interactions with patient tissues. As shown by curve 104 in FIG. 1, peak proton interactions with the patient's tissue may occur deeper within the patient and may end abruptly after the peak interaction. In addition, protons have a much smaller interaction with surface tissue than photons, which means that most of the energy of the proton beam can be delivered to the treatment volume 106 and irradiation of healthy tissue can be reduced. means. Thus, by harnessing these benefits, proton therapy allows for more accurate delivery of energy to unhealthy tissue within a patient while avoiding damage to healthy tissue. For example, proton therapy can reduce damage to surrounding healthy tissue by 2-6 times compared to X-ray therapy, thereby improving patient survival and quality of life. Protons can reduce the lifetime risk of secondary cancer in children by 97% compared to X-rays.

[006] Commercial proton therapy centers are presently rare due to the shortcomings of existing proton therapy systems that produce proton beams by using large and costly particle accelerators. Accelerator-based systems are large and not scalable. As an example, FIG. 2 shows a schematic size comparison of an accelerator-based proton therapy system for a football field. The energy requirements and maintenance costs associated with the operation of accelerator-based systems are also enormous. Taken together, these shortcomings are linked to the tremendous structural and maintenance costs associated with proton therapy. In addition to the enormous costs associated with accelerator-based proton beam production, adjusting such certain properties of the proton beam (eg, beam energy and beam flux) can be cumbersome and time consuming in such systems. Can take This results in longer treatment times and lower patient throughput, resulting in a lower number of patients sharing the cost burden, further increasing the cost of individual treatments. Correspondingly, the number of proton therapy centers currently existing is small, and patients often receive poor treatment, partly due to the unavailability of proton therapy.

[007] The present disclosure is directed to alternative modes of proton therapy. While the embodiments disclosed herein contemplate medical applications of proton therapy, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the novel proton beam generation methods and systems described below will be used in any application where proton beams are desired. It will be understood that can be used in.

Brief overview of the disclosed embodiment for illustration
[008] Some of the embodiments disclosed herein provide methods and systems for improved production of proton beams. For example, the disclosed embodiments provide, for example, improved speed, accuracy, and configurability, as described above, thereby allowing proton beam generation to be performed more efficiently and at less cost. Can improve the drawbacks of some conventional proton production techniques. The disclosed embodiments can further reduce the size and complexity of existing systems.

[009] Consistent with this embodiment, a system for producing a proton beam includes an interaction chamber configured to support an ion production target, and an electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation. Measuring at least one laser-target interaction property and one or more optics components configured to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation to an ion producing target, thereby producing a resulting proton beam. And a feedback signal based on at least one laser-target interaction property measured by the detector and for an electromagnetic radiation source, one or more optics components and an ion-producing target At least one processor configured to modify the proton beam by adjusting at least one of the relative position and orientation of the electromagnetic radiation beams.

[010] Some embodiments provide an electromagnetic radiation beam and direct the electromagnetic radiation beam to an ion-producing target in the interaction chamber, thereby producing a resulting proton beam. Measuring at least one laser-target interaction property and adjusting at least one of an electromagnetic radiation source, one or more optics components and at least one of a relative position and orientation of the electromagnetic radiation beam with respect to an ion-producing target. And modifying the proton beam to generate a feedback signal based on the at least one measured laser-target interaction property.

[011] As an example, the at least one laser-target interaction property may include a proton beam property (eg, proton beam energy or proton beam flux).

[012] Laser-target interaction properties may include, for example, secondary electron emission properties such as X-ray emission properties.

[013] The electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to provide one or more of a laser beam or a pulsed electromagnetic radiation beam to generate, for example, a pulsed proton beam.

[014] The interaction chamber may include a target stage that supports the ion producing target, and the at least one processor may be further configured to cause relative movement between the target stage and the electromagnetic radiation beam. ..

[015] The structure of the ion-generating target may be determined at least in part based on the generated feedback signal, eg, generated from the measured laser-target interaction properties.

[016] Further, consistent with this embodiment, the at least one laser-target interaction property may include proton beam energy.

[017] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one laser-target interaction property may include a proton beam flux.

[018] Further consistent with this embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to modify the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam in response to the feedback signal.

[019] Further consistent with this embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to generate at least a main pulse and a pre-pulse, and the at least one processor may include the electromagnetic radiation source in response to the feedback signal. It may be configured to cause altering the contrast ratio of the pre-pulse to the pulse.

[020] Furthermore, consistent with this embodiment, at least one processor may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to modify the energy of the electrical radiation beam in response to the feedback signal.

[021] Further consistent with this embodiment, the one or more processors may include a source of electromagnetic radiation, for example, by changing the spot size of the electromagnetic radiation beam in response to a feedback signal. It may be configured to cause altering the spatial profile.

[022] Further consistent with this embodiment, at least one processor may include one or more optics components, such as by changing the spot size of an electromagnetic radiation beam in response to a feedback signal. It may be configured to cause altering the spatial profile of the beam.

[023] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor causes the motor to cause the motor to change relative orientation between the beam of electromagnetic radiation and the ion producing target in response to the feedback signal. Can be configured to.

[024] Another embodiment consistent with the present disclosure may include a system for producing a proton beam, the system configured to provide an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target, and a beam of electromagnetic radiation. And an adaptive mirror configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to an ion-producing target in the interaction chamber, thereby producing a proton beam, and the spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation as well as the spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation. And at least one processor configured to control the adaptive mirror to adjust at least one of at least one of a relative position and orientation between the radiation beam and the ion producing target.

[025] Some embodiments direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to an ion-producing target in the interaction chamber, thereby providing a resulting beam of electromagnetic radiation and using an adaptive mirror. At least one processor for producing at least one of a spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam and at least one of a relative position and orientation between the electromagnetic radiation beam and the ion-producing target. Controlling the adaptive mirror according to the present invention.

[026] By way of example, the adaptive mirror is configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation by at least one of conditioning the beam of electromagnetic radiation, redirecting the beam of electromagnetic radiation, and scanning the beam of electromagnetic radiation. obtain.

[027] Furthermore, consistent with this embodiment, the adaptive mirror may be configured to raster scan the beam of electromagnetic radiation across the ion producing target.

[028] Further, consistent with this embodiment, the adaptive mirror may include multiple surfaces, each of the multiple surfaces being independently controllable by digital logic circuitry.

[029] Further consistent with the present disclosure, an adaptive mirror may include a laser pulse focused on an anti-reflection coated substrate, one or both of the laser pulse and the anti-reflection coated substrate. Are controllable by digital logic circuits.

[030] Further, consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to cause the adaptive mirror to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation to the ion producing target in response to the feedback signal.

[031] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to cause the adaptive mirror to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to a predetermined location on the surface of the ion producing target.

[032] Furthermore, consistent with this embodiment, the surface of the ion generating target may include a patterned array.

[033] Further consistent with this embodiment, the surface of the ion-generating target may include a plurality of ion-generating structures oriented substantially along a common axis.

[034] Furthermore, consistent with this embodiment, the surface of the ion production target may include at least one knife edge.

[035] Consistent with this embodiment, a system for producing a proton beam is provided to provide an electromagnetic radiation beam along a trajectory with an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target at a target location. A configured electromagnetic radiation source, the electromagnetic radiation beam having an energy, polarization, spatial profile, and temporal profile, the trajectory of the electromagnetic radiation beam between the electromagnetic radiation source and the surface of the electromagnetic radiation source and the ion-producing target. One or more optics components positioned along the electromagnetic radiation to cause a beam of electromagnetic radiation to illuminate an ion-generating target, thereby promoting the formation of proton beams having energy and flux. One or more optics components configured to cooperate with a beam and at least one processor, the flux of protons and the protons while holding the energy of the protons substantially constant. Controlling at least one of the electromagnetic radiation source and one or more optics components to adjust at least one of the energy of the proton beam while holding the flux of the line substantially constant, At least one processor configured to modify at least one of energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam, polarization of the electromagnetic radiation beam, spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam, and temporal profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[036] Some embodiments may include a method of producing a proton beam, the method comprising supporting an ion-producing target at a target location within an interaction chamber and electromagnetic radiation along a trajectory by an electromagnetic radiation source. Providing a beam of radiation, the beam of electromagnetic radiation having an energy, polarization, spatial profile and temporal profile, and providing a trajectory of the beam of electromagnetic radiation between the source of electromagnetic radiation and the surface of the ion production target. Illuminating an ion-producing target with a beam of electromagnetic radiation by means of one or more optics components positioned along the one or more optics components forming a proton beam with energy and flux. A proton beam flux and a proton beam flux during irradiating and holding the proton beam energy substantially constant, which is configured to cooperate with an electromagnetic radiation beam to promote The energy of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, the polarization of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, the spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, and the spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation by at least one processor for adjusting at least one of the energies of the proton beam while holding it substantially constant. Controlling the electromagnetic radiation source and at least one of the one or more optics components to modify at least one of the temporal profiles of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[037] Further consistent with this embodiment, a system for producing a proton beam provides an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target at a target location and a beam of electromagnetic radiation along a trajectory. An electromagnetic radiation source configured to have an energy, polarization, spatial profile and temporal profile, the electromagnetic radiation source and the electromagnetic radiation beam between the electromagnetic radiation source and the surface of the ion-generating target. One or more optics components positioned along the locus of to cause an electromagnetic radiation beam to illuminate an ion-generating target, thereby promoting the formation of a proton beam with energy and flux. One or more optics components configured to cooperate with a beam of electromagnetic radiation and a proton beam flux during changing the energy of the proton beam and a proton during changing the flux of the proton beam. Controlling at least one of the electromagnetic radiation source and the one or more optics components to adjust at least one of the energy of the lines, whereby the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the polarization of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the electromagnetic radiation beam , At least one processor configured to modify at least one of the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the temporal profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[038] Some embodiments may include a method of producing a proton beam, the method comprising supporting an ion-producing target at a target location in an interaction chamber and electromagnetic radiation along a trajectory by an electromagnetic radiation source. Providing a beam of radiation, the beam of electromagnetic radiation having an energy, polarization, spatial profile and temporal profile, and providing a trajectory of the beam of electromagnetic radiation between the source of electromagnetic radiation and the surface of the ion production target. Irradiating an ion-generating target with a beam of electromagnetic radiation by means of one or more optics components positioned along the one or more optics components, which promote the formation of proton beams with energy and flux. A proton beam flux during irradiating and changing the proton beam energy, and a proton beam during changing the proton beam flux, configured to cooperate with an electromagnetic radiation beam for At least one so as to modify at least one of the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the polarization of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the temporal profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam to adjust at least one of the energy of the lines Controlling at least one of the electromagnetic radiation source and the one or more optics components by one processor.

[039] As an example, at least one processor may be configured to modify the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by modifying the spot size of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[040] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to change the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by changing the chirp of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[041] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to change the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by changing the timing of one or more pump sources.

[042] Further, consistent with this embodiment, the polarization of the electromagnetic radiation beam may be such that the electromagnetic radiation beam is unpolarized.

[043] Further consistent with this embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to provide a pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation and thereby generate a pulsed proton beam.

[044] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to alter the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[045] Further, consistent with this embodiment, the one or more processors may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to alter the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[046] Further consistent with this embodiment, at least one processor may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to modify the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam, and the at least one processor Alternatively, multiple optics components may be configured to cause the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam to be altered.

[047] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor is configured to cause one or more optics components to alter the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. obtain.

[048] Consistent with this embodiment, a system for producing a proton beam includes an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target provided with a plurality of patterned features, and a plurality of patterned chambers. An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide an electromagnetic radiation beam for illuminating a patterned feature, the electromagnetic radiation beam impinging upon and resulting in each one of a plurality of patterned features. And at least one processor configured to cause producing a proton beam.

[049] Some embodiments support an ion-generating target provided with a plurality of patterned features in an interaction chamber and irradiate the plurality of patterned features with an electromagnetic radiation source. Providing a beam of electromagnetic radiation for illuminating, and directing the beam of electromagnetic radiation to each one of the plurality of patterned features and thereby producing a resulting proton beam. May be included.

[050] Further consistent with this embodiment, a system for producing a proton beam includes an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target patterned with at least one knife edge, and an ion producing target. An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide an electromagnetic radiation beam for illuminating at least one knife edge of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the electromagnetic radiation beam striking the at least one knife edge, and thereby producing a resulting proton beam. And at least one processor configured to cause.

[051] Further, some embodiments support an ion-producing target patterned in the interaction chamber with at least one knife edge, and the electromagnetic radiation source provides at least one knife of the ion-producing target. The method may include providing an electromagnetic radiation beam for illuminating the edge, and applying the electromagnetic radiation beam to the at least one knife edge and thereby producing a resulting proton beam.

[052] Further consistent with this embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to provide a laser beam having a wavelength, and at least one of the plurality of patterned features is a wavelength of the laser beam. Can have smaller dimensions than. Similarly, the knife edge can also have dimensions smaller than the wavelength of the laser beam.

[053] Further consistent with this embodiment, the plurality of patterned features includes protrusions that extend away from the surface of the ion generation target.

[054] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to raster scan the ion producing target.

[055] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to cause the beam of electromagnetic radiation to scan the surface of the ion producing target continuously or discontinuously.

[056] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor causes the adaptive mirror to condition the beam of electromagnetic radiation to scan the at least one knife edge continuously or discontinuously. Can be configured.

[057] Furthermore, consistent with this embodiment, the plurality of patterned features or knife edges can include ice.

[058] Furthermore, consistent with this embodiment, the plurality of patterned features or knife edges can include silicon.

[0059] Further consistent with this embodiment, the plurality of patterned features or knife edges can include carbon.

[060] Furthermore, consistent with this embodiment, the plurality of patterned features or knife edges can include plastic.

[061] Further consistent with this embodiment, the plurality of patterned features or knife edges can include stainless steel.

[062] Further in accordance with this embodiment, at least one processor is configured to electromagnetically direct the adaptive mirror to sequentially or simultaneously hit one of each of the plurality of patterned features or a knife edge. It may be configured to cause conditioning of the radiation beam.

[063] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor is configured to adjust the motor to cause the beam of electromagnetic radiation to sequentially strike each one of the patterned features. obtain.

[064] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to provide a continuous scan of the electromagnetic radiation beam over a continuous one of the plurality of patterned features.

[065] Further, consistent with this embodiment, the target can be patterned with more than one knife edge.

[066] Consistent with this embodiment, a system for producing a proton beam comprises an ion source configured to produce a pulsed ion beam comprising at least one group of ions, at least one electromagnet, and an electromagnet. A nearby zone, wherein the pulsed beam is directed to traverse therethrough, and at least one electrically connected to the at least one electromagnet for selectively activating the at least one electromagnet. An automated switch, a radiation trigger source configured to activate at least one automated switch, and at least one configured to activate at least one electromagnet as the group of ions traverses the zone. And a processor.

[067] Another embodiment consistent with the present disclosure may include a method of directing a pulsed beam of charged particles, the method comprising producing a pulsed ion beam comprising at least one group of ions, the method comprising: The generating ion beam is configured to traverse through a zone in the vicinity of the at least one electromagnet, the generating and activating at least one automated switch by a radiation trigger source, the method comprising: One automated switch electrically connected to the at least one electromagnet, activating and based on the activation of the automated switch as the group of ions traverses the zone, by at least one processor, Selectively activating at least one electromagnet.

[068] By way of example, consistent with this embodiment, the radiation trigger source may include one or more of a source of ion, x-ray, electron and laser radiation.

[069] Further consistent with this embodiment, the electromagnet may be configured to produce an electromagnetic field and the zone may be oriented to be in the electromagnetic field when the electromagnet is activated. Consistent with this embodiment, the zones can have dimensions less than about 1 inch.

[070] Further consistent with this embodiment, the ion source may include a radiation trigger source and an ion generation target, and the radiation trigger source activates an automated switch and illuminates the ion generation target. And thereby generate a pulsed ion beam.

[071] Further consistent with this embodiment, the point in time at which the radiant trigger source activates the automated switch can be adjusted by a controlled delay line. The controlled delay line can be configured, for example, to adjust the point in time at which the radiation trigger source activates the automated switch, synchronously with the pulsed ion beam.

[072] Further, consistent with this embodiment, the automated switch may include a photoconductive semiconductor switch or a spark switch.

[073] Further consistent with this embodiment, the at least one electromagnet may include a plurality of electromagnets in series along a trajectory of the pulsed ion beam, and the at least one automated switch comprises a plurality of automation switches. A plurality of automated switches, each of which is associated with a different one of the plurality of electromagnets. The at least one processor may be configured to sequentially activate a plurality of automated switches as the groups of ions traverse respective electromagnets.

[074] Further consistent with this embodiment, the first electromagnet of the one or more electromagnets in series is configured to redirect a portion of the pulsed ion beam from an original trajectory to a redirected trajectory. And a second electromagnet of the one or more electromagnets in series is arranged from the redirected trajectory to a redirected portion of the pulsed ion beam in a path substantially parallel to the original trajectory. It may be configured to redirect at least a portion.

[075] Consistent with this embodiment, a system for producing a proton beam comprises a proton source configured to provide a proton beam having a plurality of proton energies within a proton energy spread, and at least one processor. Controlling the relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume in the two dimensions of the three-dimensional coordinate system, while maintaining a substantially fixed coordinate in the other two dimensions. And controlling the proton energy spread to adjust the depth of the treatment volume in the third dimension of the coordinate system.

[076] Another embodiment consistent with the present disclosure may include a method of treating a therapeutic volume with a proton, the method comprising providing a proton beam having a plurality of proton energies within a proton energy spread with a proton source. And controlling relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume in two dimensions of the three-dimensional coordinate system by at least one processor, and by at least one processor providing substantially fixed coordinates. Controlling the proton energy spread to adjust the depth of the treatment volume in the third dimension of the three-dimensional coordinate system while maintaining it in the other two dimensions.

[077] By way of example, consistent with this embodiment, the at least one processor may provide the proton beam with, for example, rotating the gantry, guiding the proton beam with an electromagnet, and/or moving the patient support platform. It can be configured to control relative movement to and from the treatment volume.

[078] Further consistent with this embodiment, a system for treating a therapeutic volume with a proton controls the proton energy spread and the proton energy distribution with at least one of a magnetic analyzer, a time-of-flight control unit and an energy degrader. Can be configured to.

[079] Consistent with other disclosed embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is implemented by one or more processor units and may include any of the methods described herein. The program instructions to be executed can be saved.

[080] The above summary is a brief summary of only some disclosed embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the numerous inventive concepts set forth in the following figures, detailed description, and claims. Absent.

Brief description of the drawings
[081] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate certain aspects of the disclosed embodiments, and illustrate the disclosed embodiments with a description.

[082] Fig. 28 is a graph depicting radiation dose associated with tissue depth. [083] A schematic representation of the size of some conventional accelerator-based particle therapy systems described above. [084] FIG. 18 is an illustration of an example of interconnected components of a system for providing proton therapy consistent with disclosed embodiments. [085] FIG. 9 is an example of an ion-generating target for proton beam generation, consistent with disclosed embodiments. [085] FIG. 9 is an example of an ion-generating target for proton beam generation, consistent with disclosed embodiments. [085] FIG. 9 is an example of an ion-generating target for proton beam generation, consistent with disclosed embodiments. [085] FIG. 9 is an example of an ion-generating target for proton beam generation, consistent with disclosed embodiments. [085] FIG. 9 is an example of an ion-generating target for proton beam generation, consistent with disclosed embodiments. [086] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an example of a controller for controlling a proton therapy system consistent with disclosed embodiments. [087] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an example of an electromagnetic radiation source consistent with disclosed embodiments. [088] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of an example of a gantry consistent with disclosed embodiments. [089] FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of another example of a gantry consistent with the disclosed embodiments. [090] FIG. 9 is a flow chart of an example of a proton therapy process consistent with disclosed embodiments. [091] FIG. 9 illustrates aspects of an example interaction chamber consistent with disclosed embodiments. [092] FIG. 9 is a flow chart of an example process for controlling proton therapy with proton production feedback, consistent with disclosed embodiments. [093] depicts energy of a proton beam pulse for illustration, consistent with disclosed embodiments. [094] depicts an example of a proton energy selection system consistent with the disclosed embodiments. [094] depicts an example of a proton energy selection system consistent with the disclosed embodiments. [095] FIG. 9 is a flow chart of an example process for controlling proton therapy treatment in three-dimensional space based on proton production feedback, consistent with disclosed embodiments. [096] FIG. 15 depicts an exemplary proton therapy treatment embodiment based on the process of FIG. [096] FIG. 15 depicts an exemplary proton therapy treatment embodiment based on the process of FIG. [096] FIG. 15 depicts an exemplary proton therapy treatment embodiment based on the process of FIG. [096] FIG. 15 depicts an exemplary proton therapy treatment embodiment based on the process of FIG.

Detailed description
[097] Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and disclosed herein. Where appropriate, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[098] Provided herein are systems and methods for providing ion beam therapy. The following embodiments are described in the context of proton therapy. As used herein, "proton therapy" refers to a particle therapy medical procedure that most commonly uses a proton beam to irradiate diseased tissue in the treatment of cancer. Although the present description refers to this therapeutic procedure, it is to be understood that the intended scope of innovation herein is not limited to therapeutic or medical procedures. Rather, the present invention can be applied at any time when a proton beam is produced for any purpose. Additionally, the present disclosure is not limited to the production of proton beams, but also applies to other forms of ion beam production.

[099] A system for producing a proton beam according to the present disclosure may include one or more sources of electromagnetic radiation. As used in this disclosure, "electromagnetic radiation" can mean any form of electromagnetic radiation having any wavelength, frequency, energy, power, polarization and/or spatial or temporal profile. In some embodiments, electromagnetic radiation can propagate in the form of a beam. For example, the beam of electromagnetic radiation can be any form of electromagnetic radiation suitable for illuminating a desired location. In some embodiments, a system providing a proton therapy system can be configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation along a trajectory. The beam of electromagnetic radiation illuminates, for example, a plurality of patterned features on the ion-producing target (as described in more detail below), or on the ion-producing target (also as described below in more detail). It may be configured to illuminate one or more knife edges.

[0100] The beam of electromagnetic radiation may include a defined energy, wavelength, power, energy, polarization (or it may be unpolarized), spatial profile and/or temporal profile. Any of these properties can be fixed or can change. As an example, the electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to provide a laser beam having properties tailored to the properties of the ion producing target. The beam of electromagnetic radiation can be pulsed to result in a pulsed proton beam, or can be continuous to result in a continuous proton beam.

[0101] A system for producing a proton beam according to the present disclosure can include an ion producing target. An ion producing target, as used in this disclosure, can refer to any material, device or combination of elements configured to produce ions in response to electromagnetic radiation. As described below, the ion producing target can be configured to produce a proton beam, but a proton beam is just one example. In some embodiments, the ion producing target can be provided with a plurality of patterned features. For example, the plurality of patterned features may include protrusions extending from the surface of the ion producing target. In some embodiments, the ion-generating target can be patterned with one or more knife edges. For example, the knife edge of the ion producing target may include one or more narrow edges similar to the edges of a ridge or blade.

[0102] A system for producing a proton beam in accordance with the present disclosure may include one or more optics components. One or more optics components used in the present disclosure may include any of, for example, shaping, guiding, filtering, splitting, delaying, modulating, absorbing, amplifying, focusing, chopping and/or reflecting an electromagnetic radiation beam. It may refer to any one or more components for manipulating and/or controlling an electromagnetic radiation beam in a manner. As an example, the optics component may be positioned along the trajectory of the electromagnetic radiation beam, for example, between the electromagnetic radiation source and the surface of the ion production target. In some embodiments, the optics component can be configured to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation to an ion producing target, for example, to produce a resulting proton beam. Further, the electromagnetic radiation source can include one or more optics components to facilitate formation of the beam of electromagnetic radiation.

[0103] Consistent with this disclosure, optics components may include one or more adaptive mirrors. Adaptive mirror as used in this disclosure may mean an element that includes a reflective surface that can be adapted. For example, the adaptive mirror may be a deformable mirror that includes multiple surfaces, each of the multiple surfaces being independently controllable by digital logic circuitry. As another example, the adaptive mirror may be a plasma mirror that includes a laser pulse focused on an anti-reflection coated substrate, wherein one or both of the laser pulse and the anti-reflection coated substrate are digital. It can be controlled by a logic circuit. In some embodiments, the adaptive mirror can be configured to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation to the ion producing target, or in some examples, the beam of electromagnetic radiation illuminates the ion producing target, thereby causing a proton beam. Can be configured to cooperate with the beam of electromagnetic radiation to cause promoting formation of Adaptive mirrors according to the present disclosure adjust or control the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam and/or adjust or control at least one of the relative position and orientation between the electromagnetic beam and the ion production target. Can be configured. In some examples, the adaptive mirror may be configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation by adjusting one or more properties of the beam of electromagnetic radiation. For example, the adjusting can be accomplished by at least one of adjusting the focus of the electromagnetic radiation beam, redirecting the electromagnetic radiation beam, and scanning the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[0104] Consistent with the present disclosure, a system for producing a proton beam may be configured, for example, to raster scan a beam of electromagnetic radiation across an ion producing target. Raster scan as used in this disclosure may refer to a pattern of continuous scans on a surface or volume having any shape. Raster scanning can be accomplished, for example, by one or more motors configured to cause a beam of electromagnetic radiation to continuously scan a surface or volume. In some embodiments, the beam of electromagnetic radiation may be raster-scanned over individual patterned features of the ion producing target or knife edges of the ion producing target. In some embodiments, the adaptive mirror can be configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to strike individual features of the ion producing target.

[0105] A system for producing a proton beam according to the present disclosure can include one or more proton beam conditioning components. One or more proton beam conditioning components used in this disclosure include, for example, proton beam acceleration, analysis, waveguiding, shaping, filtering, splitting, delaying, modulating, absorbing, amplifying, focusing, chopping and/or It may refer to any one or more components for manipulating and/or controlling the proton beam by any manner including reflection. For example, the proton conditioning component may include one or more quadrupole lenses, cylindrical mirror lens/analyzer (“CMA”), spherical mirror lens/analyzer (“SMA”), collimator, energy degrader, time-of-flight control. It may include a unit, a magnetic dipole or any other component suitable for manipulating charged ions.

[0106] A system for producing a proton beam according to the present disclosure can be used in connection with a system for treating a treatment volume with protons. For medical treatment, the volume can be a group of cells or an area of tissue. When utilized outside the medical field, the volume may be any area or region where benefits may be realized through the application of radiation.

[0107] According to the present disclosure, a gantry can be provided. A gantry may refer to any device configured to assist in guiding radiation towards a target. The target to be irradiated can be, for example, a treatment volume such as a tumor in the patient's body. It should be understood that this is only an example, as a system for treating a therapeutic volume with a proton consistent with the present disclosure is only one application of the disclosed system for producing a proton beam. A gantry can also be used to direct a proton beam or other beam of radiation toward any target to be illuminated.

[0108] According to the present disclosure, a patient support platform can be provided. A patient support platform can refer to any surface, foundation or other structure configured to support a patient during radiation therapy. The patient support platform can be fixed or adjustable in any dimension.

[0109] Any of the systems according to the present disclosure may include at least one processor configured to monitor, control, and/or facilitate the use of any of the components contained within the system. Consistent with the disclosed embodiments, the processor may be, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), programmable logic device (PLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), It may mean any one or more processing units, including controllers, microprocessors or other similar electronic devices and/or combinations thereof. The processor may include one or more modules of the control system.

[0110] In some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, at least one processor is configured such that the beam of electromagnetic radiation strikes individual patterned features that make up a plurality of patterned features of the ion-producing target, and It may be configured to cause the resulting production of a proton beam. In some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, the at least one processor is configured to cause the beam of electromagnetic radiation to strike one or more knife edges of the ion producing target and produce a resulting proton beam. Can be configured to cause.

[0111] In some embodiments, the at least one processor can control at least one of the electromagnetic radiation source and/or the optics component. For example, the processor or group of processors may be at least the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the flux of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the polarization of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam, or other aspects of the electromagnetic radiation beam. One can be controlled. More specifically, at least one processor may generate instructions to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to modify the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by modifying the spot size of the electromagnetic radiation beam. As another example, at least one processor may change the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by changing the chirp of the electromagnetic radiation beam. As a further example, at least one processor can change the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by changing the timing of one or more laser pump sources.

[0112] In embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, at least one processor may be configured to cause the adaptive mirror to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation to a predetermined location on the surface of the ion producing target. For example, one or more processors may be configured to cause the beam of electromagnetic radiation to raster scan the ion producing target. Such a raster scan may include a continuous scan of the beam of electromagnetic radiation over successive patterned features that make up the plurality of patterned features. Hitting the individual patterned features may include, for example, continuous or discontinuous scanning of the surface of the ion producing target. In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to cause the adaptive mirrors to condition the beam of electromagnetic radiation to individually strike the patterned features, or the processor may configure the individual patterned Can be configured to hit the identified features simultaneously.

[0113] According to the present disclosure, at least one processor may be configured to control multiple aspects of the system independently or simultaneously. For example, the at least one processor may be configured to adjust the flux of the proton beam while keeping the energy of the proton beam substantially constant, or while keeping the flux of the proton beam substantially constant. , Can be configured to regulate the energy of the proton beam. Alternatively, at least one processor may be configured to simultaneously adjust the proton beam flux and the proton beam energy.

[0114] FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary system 300 for providing proton therapy, including an exemplary system for producing a proton beam. The system 300 is also an example of a system for treating a treatment volume with protons. According to the disclosed embodiments, the system 300 includes an electromagnetic radiation source 302, an ion production target 304, one or more optics components 306, one or more proton beam conditioning components 308, a gantry 310, a patient support platform 312. And one or more of the control systems 314 configured to communicate with any one or more of the above.

[0115] The patient can be positioned on the patient support platform 312. The patient support platform 312 can be any shape or form suitable for use with other components of the system 300 and useful for supporting a patient during treatment. The patient support platform 312 may be fixed in place with respect to the gantry 310, or the patient support platform 312 may be configured for translation and/or rotation prior to or during treatment. In some embodiments, the patient support platform 312 can be adjusted to accommodate different sized patients or to position the treatment volume within the proton beam path. Further, in some embodiments, the patient support platform 312 can be adjusted during treatment to reposition the treatment volume with respect to the proton beam.

[0116] The gantry 310 may be configured to direct a proton beam toward a treatment volume, such as a tumor, within a patient's body. Gantry 310 can be configured to be manipulated by one or more methods to affect the path of the proton beam, and can be constructed from several materials and can contain multiple components. Examples of gantry 310 consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure are described in further detail below, but these are not intended to be limiting.

The electromagnetic radiation source 302 can emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation 316, such as a laser beam, that is directed toward an ion producing target 304. In some embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation source 302 includes one or more gas lasers (eg, CO 2 lasers), diode pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers (eg, ytterbium lasers, neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet lasers). (Nd:YAG) or titanium-sapphire laser (Ti:sapphire)) and/or flashlamp pumped solid state lasers (eg Nd:YAG or neodymium glass). In a broader sense, any radiation source capable of effecting the ejection of ions from the target can be utilized.

The source of electromagnetic radiation 302 can be selected based on its intensity, ie, the duration of the pulse and the energy divided by the spot size of the laser on the ion producing target 304. Various combinations of spatial profile (eg spot size), wavelength, duration and energy can be used while still providing the same intensity. For example, in some embodiments, the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 can be in the energy range of 1 J to 25000 J and in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 10000 nm. The electromagnetic radiation beam 316 can be pulsed, for example, with a pulse width range of 10 fs to 100 ns. The beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 can have various spot sizes. In some embodiments, a spot size of 1 μm ^{2 to} 1 cm ² can be used. The spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 may have any beam profile, but in some embodiments the spatial profile may include a Gaussian, super Gaussian, top hat, Bessel or annular beam file.

[0117] In some embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation source 302 may be configured to generate a main pulse after one or more pre-pulses. The contrast ratio (ie the ratio between the main pulse and the pre-pulse called “pedestal” that arrives before the main pulse) can influence the proton production. The contrast ratio can be more specifically defined as the laser intensity increases. As an example, on a time scale shorter than 100 ps, the contrast ratio can range from 10 ⁻⁸ to 10 ⁻¹² .

[0118] As a more specific example, the electromagnetic radiation source 302 may be a Ti:sapphire laser. In the example of a Ti:sapphire laser, the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 may be in the energy range of about 1 J-25 J and have a wavelength of about 800 nm. In this example, the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 may have a pulse width range of approximately ¹⁰ fs to 400 fs, a spot size of approximately 2 μm ^{2 to 1} mm ^{2 and} a Gaussian or top hat spatial profile. These properties are for illustrative purposes only, and other configurations may be utilized.

[0119] The electromagnetic radiation beam 316 may be directed to the ion production target 304 by, for example, one or more optics components 306 disposed along a trajectory between the electromagnetic radiation source 302 and the ion production target 304. it can. The one or more optics components 306 are one or more configured to modify properties of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316, including spectral properties, spatial properties, temporal properties, energy, polarization, contrast ratio or other properties. Optical and/or mechanical components of One or more components 306 may be involved, for example, in the generation, optimization, steering, alignment, modification and metrology of electromagnetic radiation beam 316 or other aspects of system 300. The one or more optics components 306 include lenses, mirrors, laser crystals and other lasing materials, piezoelectric actuated mirrors, plates, prisms, beamsplitters, filters, light pipes, windows, blanks, optical fibers, frequency shifters. , Optical amplifiers, gratings, pulse shapers, XPWs, Mazzler (or Dazzler) filters, polarizers, Pockels cells, optical modulators, apertures, saturable absorbers and other optical elements.

[0120] The one or more optics components 306 may be fixed or adaptive. For example, one or more optics components 306 may be one of a deformable mirror, a plasma mirror, a Pockels cell, a phase shifter, an optical modulator, an iris, a shutter (manual and computer controlled), and other similar components. Or it may include multiple active, adaptive or reconfigurable components. Adaptive properties may manipulate the optical component itself, as in the case of deformable mirrors or plasma mirrors. Also, the orientation of the one or more optics components 306 can be adjusted, such as by translating the one or more optics components 306, or rotating the one or more optics components 306 about a rotation axis. possible. The adjustment can be manual or automated. As one example, control system 314 can receive a feedback signal and, in response, one or more optics components 306 that place a control signal between electromagnetic radiation beam 316 and ion production target 304. Can be provided to the motor connected to. As a result, movement of the motor causes one or more to change the relative orientation between the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 and the ion production target 304 (eg, by repositioning the location of the laser-target interaction). Multiple optics components 306 can be adjusted.

[0121] Examples of deformable mirrors that may be utilized within the one or more optics components 306 include, for example, segmented mirrors, continuous faceplate mirrors, magnetic mirrors, MEMS mirrors, membrane mirrors, bimorph mirrors, and And/or a ferrofluid mirror. Also, any number of other mirror technologies having the ability to modify the wavefront of an electromagnetic radiation beam may be used.

[0122] Examples of plasma mirrors that may be utilized within one or more optics components 306 are anti-reflection coated, ionizing to reflect and separate high intensity peaks from the lower intensity background of the pulse. It includes a laser pulse focused on a substrate. As an example, a plasma mirror can be established by directing a laser pulse towards a parabolic mirror located in front of an antireflection coated substrate. Other methods of implementing plasma mirrors are also known to those skilled in the art and are suitable for use with the system and method embodiments described herein.

[0123] One or more optics components 306 can be adapted for parameters related to the intended beam. For example, the optics component 306 can be tailored in terms of wavelength, intensity, temporal pulse shape (eg, pulse width), spatial size and energy distribution, polarization, and other properties of the intended beam. Such beam parameters may include optics substrate material, size (eg lateral size or thickness), coating material (if present), shape (eg flat, spherical or otherwise), orientation in relation to the beam. Or it may relate to other specifications.

[0124] The one or more optics components 306 hold the elements in place while allowing them to be positioned with an appropriate degree of accuracy, such as translation and rotation, as well as other degrees of freedom. May include one or more corresponding holders configured to. In one embodiment, such a holder may include an opto-mechanical mount held in place by an optical table or any other mechanical holder. Such degrees of freedom can be manipulated manually or via any suitable automatic means such as an electric motor.

[0125] The one or more optics components 306 may be disposed in specific environmental conditions, such as a vacuum and/or one or more gas-purified environments. Further, optics component 306 may be present at various locations along the path of electromagnetic radiation source 302 between electromagnetic radiation source 302 and ion producing target 304, or in any other system of system 300 where an optical component is desired. It can be provided. The one or more optics components 306 may be configured for various uses such as steering a laser beam, diagnosing a laser beam, diagnosing a laser-target interaction and/or observing and positioning an ion-producing target. ..

[0126] In some embodiments, the life of one or more optics components 306 can vary. One or more of several optics components 306 may be long term equipment that is reused multiple times. Alternatively or in addition, some of the one or more optics components 306 may be consumable and are replaced after being used fewer times. Such classification may be based on several factors such as laser intensity and the presence of debris/contamination. In some embodiments, debris shields can be placed in the vicinity of expensive or delicate optics to reduce the need for frequent replacement. Regular inspections can be performed for suspected optics. A dedicated optical system can be installed to inspect at-risk optics.

[0127] The one or more optics components 306 may be operated manually, automatically, or any combination thereof. Input types for operating the optics component 306 may include high voltage signals, trigger signals, optical pumping or any other form of input. Further, the optics component 306 can also be monitored by one or more cameras, such as CCD cameras. For example, automatic operation of one or more adaptive mirrors may be performed in response to one or more signals provided by control system 314. The control system 314 controls, for example, one or more motors, one or more piezoelectric elements, one or more microelectromechanical (MEMS) elements, and/or the like associated with deformable mirrors. can do. Alternatively or additionally, the control system 314 controls, for example, one or more laser pulses, one or more anti-reflective coated substrates and/or the like associated with plasma mirrors. You can

[0128] In some embodiments, the one or more optics components 306 can include an adaptive deformable mirror, such as a deformable mirror having multiple surfaces, each of the multiple surfaces independently. It is controllable. The surface can be controlled by digital control logic, such as digital control logic included in control system 314. As another example, an adaptive mirror is a focused laser to ionize an antireflective coated substrate, thereby reflecting and separating high intensity peaks from the lower intensity background of the laser pulse. It can be a plasma mirror using pulses. The laser pulse and/or anti-reflective coated substrate can be controlled by digital control logic, such as digital control logic included in control system 314.

[0129] The adaptive mirror is configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 by one or more of adjusting the focus of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, redirecting the beam of electromagnetic radiation, and scanning the beam of electromagnetic radiation. Can be done. The adaptive mirror may be configured to focus the electromagnetic radiation beam by any method apparent to those of skill in the art. For example, the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 may strike multiple faces of the deformable mirror, or the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 may strike a plasma mirror. In some configurations, adjusting where the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 is directed or adjusting the properties of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 may be desirable. The multiple faces of the deformable mirror 316 have a spot size at a desired location that is smaller, larger, or shaped differently than their spot size just prior to hitting the deformable mirror. Can be controlled to reflect. Similarly, the plasma mirror will also reflect the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 such that its spot size at the desired location will be smaller, larger, or shaped differently than its spot size just prior to striking the plasma mirror. Can be controlled.

[0130] The adaptive mirror may also be configured to redirect the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316. For example, the system 300 is configured such that the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 strikes the ion production targets 304 at multiple locations on the ion production target 304 or at different locations within the system 300, either sequentially or simultaneously. obtain. In such a configuration, the adaptive mirror or one or more other optics components 306 redirect the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 to direct the beam at multiple locations and/or multiple ion-producing targets. You can For example, adaptive mirrors or one or more other optics components 306 may adjoin electromagnetic radiation beam 316 from one location in a predetermined pattern, either continuously or discontinuously, such as in a stepwise manner. The direction can be continuously changed (eg, scanned) to the desired location. In an automated process, the control system 314 may be configured to cause the adaptive mirror to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 to a predetermined location on the surface of the ion production target 304. For example, it may be advantageous to scan the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 over a patterned array of ion producing features provided at the surface of the ion producing target 304. The electromagnetic radiation beam 316 also on the ion production target 304 including a plurality of ion production structures directed substantially along a common axis, such as protrusions that extend substantially away from the surface of the ion production target 304. In some cases it may be advantageous to scan. Also, the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 is directed onto an ion producing target 304 that is patterned with one or more knife edges, such as an ion producing target that includes one or more features with narrow edges similar to the edges of a ridge or blade. It may be advantageous to scan. Adaptive mirrors are described as an example. Those skilled in the art will recognize that one or more other optics components 306 may perform the same or similar functions as described above with reference to adaptive mirrors.

[0131] According to the present disclosure, an ion production target may be configured to facilitate the production of ions. For example, the ion-generating target can include a surface having one or more ion-generating structures or features. Such structures or features include ice (also called snow), plastic, silicon, stainless steel or any of various metals, carbon and/or any other material from which an ion beam may be produced. It may be composed of one or more suitable materials. Such structures may be randomly arranged, arranged as defined by the growth or deposition process, and/or arranged as a patterned array. Alternatively or additionally, such a structure may also include one or more narrow edges similar to ridges or blade edges. The structure may be configured based on one or more attributes of the electromagnetic radiation beam. For example, such a structure may have dimensions that are smaller than the wavelength of an electromagnetic radiation beam such as a laser.

[0132] The ion production target 304 may emit a variety of particles, including electrons, protons, x-rays, and other particles, when hit by a beam of electromagnetic radiation 316. The ion generation target 304 can be composed of various materials. The ion production target 304 may be configured to include one or more individual features configured to interact with the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316. Alternatively or in addition, the ion production target 304 can also include a continuous surface or texture formed from a material that is favorable for interacting with the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous configurations that can be utilized to emit particles upon interaction with a beam of electromagnetic radiation, and the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary.

[0133] In some embodiments, the ion generation target 304 can be pre-fabricated. In other embodiments, the ion generation target 304 can be generated in situ within the system 300 or an attached sample preparation system. For example, the ion production target 304 can be disposed within an interaction chamber, such as interaction chamber 1000 described below. This may involve forming the ion-generating target from a suitable material, including forming such material on the substrate. Such materials include any gas, solid or liquid chemical source of the type commonly known in the art such as evaporation, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, atomic layer deposition and the like. obtain. For example, in embodiments where the ion-generating target 304 comprises ice, the materials used to form the ion-generating target are water vapor (H ₂ O), hydrogen gas (H ₂ ) and/or oxygen gas (O ₂ ). Can be included. Further, in embodiments where the ion generation target 304 comprises silicon, the material used to form the ion generation target 304 may be, for example, silane (SiH ₄ ), disilane (Si ₂ H ₆ ), trichlorosilane (SiHCl ₃ ). ) Or any other silicon source. Further, in embodiments where the ion generating target 304 comprises plastic, the source may include, for example, a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymer source material or any other PTFE source. As one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, these are merely illustrative examples of the many available target materials and target source materials. In addition, the interaction chamber may also vary in structure to suit the morphology of the target utilized. For example, if the target is ice, the interaction chamber may be specifically configured to maintain the proper temperature to support the ice. Each target material may have different persistence requirements, and thus the structure of the interaction chamber may vary to suit the target.

[0134] FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary ion generation target that may be utilized as the ion generation target 304. For example, FIG. 4A shows an ion generation target 402 that includes a cap structure 404 disposed on a hollow hourglass-shaped cone 406. In one embodiment, the distance between at least two opposite points on the cone can be less than about 15 pm. In a particular example, this distance may be less than about 1 pm. In some embodiments, the features of the ion producing target 402 can be self-supporting. Such features may include, for example, any number of shapes including structures having cones, pyramids, hemispheres and caps. The structure of the exemplary ion producing target 402 (and other embodiments of the ion producing target 304) shown in FIG. 4 can be formed by using lithographic techniques, such as photolithographic techniques. In a specific example, the ion producing target cone 406 can be fabricated on a silicon wafer 408 and then coated with one or more metals 410. In some embodiments, the protons can be emitted through the backside opening 412. FIG. 4B depicts another exemplary ion producing target suitable as the ion producing target 304 for use with the present invention. FIG. 4B depicts a portion of an ion producing target having one or more microcone targets 420 on its surface. Each microcone target 420 may be suitable for producing a high energy, low divergence particle beam. In one embodiment, the micro-cone target 420 can include a substantially cone-shaped body 422 having an outer surface 424, an inner surface 426, a generally flat and rounded open-ended base 428 and a tip 430 defining an apex. .. The cone-shaped body 422 may taper along its length from a generally flat and round open-ended base 428 to a tip 430 defining the apex. Outer surface 424 and inner surface 426 can connect base 428 to tip 430.

[0135] FIGS. 4C, 4D and 4E depict another exemplary ion producing target 304 suitable for use with embodiments of the present invention. Specifically, FIGS. 4C, 4D and 4E depict the surface of a snow target that may be formed from ice crystals. Ice can be advantageous for use as an ion production target, since water is rich in hydrogen. Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, the structure on the ion producing target may exhibit a needle-like shape. Such a shape may improve the electric field produced by the interaction of the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 and the ion production target 304. The individual needle-like structures on the ion producing target 304 can be approximately the same wavelength as the electromagnetic radiation beam 316. As an example, the structure may be about 1 μm to 10 μm.

[0136] The individual patterned features on the surface of the ion producing target 304 may be physically configured on the ion producing target 304 so that they can be sequentially scanned. For example, such structures can be configured as an array on a substantially flat surface. The individual structures can be evenly distributed over the surface to form a pattern, as shown in FIG. 4C. Alternatively, the structures can be configured as a repeating pattern with spaces between the structures, as shown in FIGS. 4D and 4E.

[0137] Referring again to FIG. 3, the one or more proton beam conditioning components 308 form the proton beam 318 from the protons produced by the ion producing target 304, and the proton beam is treated in the gantry 310 and in the patient. It may include one or more components configured to guide the volume. Proton beam conditioning component 308 may include any instrument capable of manipulating charged particles such as protons. For example, one or more proton conditioning components 308 can include electromagnetic components. More specifically, one or more proton beam conditioning components 308 include quadrupole lenses, cylindrical mirror lenses/analyzers (“CMA”), spherical mirror lenses/analyzers (“SMA”), collimators, energy degraders. , A time-of-flight control unit, a magnetic dipole, or any other component suitable for manipulating charged ions, such as one or more electromagnetic components. The one or more proton beam conditioning components 308 may also adjust one or more properties of the proton beam 318. For example, the beam conditioning component 308 can manipulate properties such as flux or spot size. Also, the one or more proton beam conditioning components 308 may filter particles with particular energies or reduce the energy of various particles.

[0138] One or more proton beam conditioning components 308 may be located at various locations within system 300, including inside the interaction chamber, along the proton beam line, within gantry 310, or any combination thereof. It can be provided. For example, the proton beam conditioning component can be disposed along a beamline that extends between the ion producing target 304 and the gantry 310. The beamline may be configured to maintain various states such as temperature, pressure (eg, vacuum), or one or more other states useful for propagating and/or manipulating the proton beam 318. The beamline may further include, without limitation, other components for containing the charged particle beam, including elements such as beam dumps, beam attenuators and protective shields.

[0139] The control system 314 may monitor and/or control various aspects of the system 300. For example, control system 314 may be associated with various sources associated with electromagnetic radiation source 302, one or more optics components 306, ion production target 304, one or more proton beam conditioning components 308, gantry 310, and/or patient support platform 312. Various detectors can be monitored. The control system 314 can also accept input from users of the system 300, such as technicians or other operators. The control system 314 may also accept, store, and execute operations associated with the system 300, including, for example, initiating and maintaining any functionality of the system 300. The control system 314 may also be configured to implement feedback between the one or more detectors and one or more of the various components of the system 300. For example, such feedback may improve the accuracy, efficiency, speed and/or other aspects of system 300 or its operation. An example of such feedback will be described in more detail below.

[0140] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an exemplary computing system 500 illustrating a configuration that may be associated with the control system 314 and consistent with disclosed embodiments. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, some or all of the functionality associated with control system 314 may be performed or facilitated by software, hardware, or any combination thereof associated with computing system 500. In one embodiment, computing system 500 may include one or more processors 520, one or more memories 540 and one or more input/output (I/O) devices 530. In some embodiments, computing system 500 may take the form of a server, general purpose computer, customized special purpose computer, mainframe computer, laptop, mobile device or any combination of these components. In particular embodiments, computing system 500 (or a system including computing system 500) is based on storing, executing and/or implementing software instructions that may perform one or more operations consistent with disclosed embodiments. Can be configured as a particular device, system or the like. The computing system 500 may be stand-alone or it may be part of a subsystem that may be part of a larger system.

[0141] The processor 520 may be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), programmable logic device (PLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), processor, controller, microprocessor, etc. Electronic unit as well as one or more known processing devices such as combinations thereof. For example, processor 520 is any of various processors manufactured by Pentium (trademark) or Xeon (trademark) family manufactured by Intel (trademark), Turion (family) family manufactured by AMD (trademark), or Sun Microsystems. A processor from Processor 520 may comprise a single core or may comprise multiple core processors executing parallel processes simultaneously. For example, the processor 520 may be a single core processor configured by virtual processing technology. In particular embodiments, processor 520 may use a logical processor to execute and control multiple processes simultaneously. The processor 520 may implement virtual machine technology or other known technology to provide the ability to execute, control, run, operate, store, etc., multiple software processes, applications, programs, and so on. Processor 520 may include a multiple core processor configuration (eg, dual or quad core, etc.) configured to provide parallel processing capabilities to allow computing system 500 to execute multiple processes simultaneously. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other types of processor configurations that provide the capabilities disclosed herein may be implemented. The disclosed embodiments are not limited to any type of processor.

[0142] The memory 540 may include one or more storage devices configured to store instructions used by the processor 520 to perform functions related to the disclosed embodiments. For example, memory 540 may be configured with one or more software instructions, such as one or more programs 550, that may perform one or more operations when executed by processor 520. The disclosed embodiments are not limited to separate programs or computers configured to perform specialized tasks. For example, memory 540 may include programs 550 that perform the functions of computing system 500, or programs 550 could also include multiple programs. Additionally, the processor 520 may execute one or more programs located remotely from the computing system 500. For example, the controller 314 may access, via the computing system 500 (or a variant thereof), one or more remote programs that, when executed, perform the functions associated with the particular disclosed embodiment. .. Processor 520 may further execute one or more programs located within database 570. In some embodiments, the program 550 may be stored in an external storage device such as a server located outside the computing system 500, and the processor 520 can execute the program 550 remotely.

[0143] The memory 540 may also store data that may reflect any type of information, in any format that the system may be used to perform operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. .. Memory 540 may store instructions that enable processor 520 to execute one or more applications, such as server applications, network communication processes, and any other type of application or software. Alternatively, the instructions, application programs, etc. may be stored in an external storage (not shown) in communication with computing system 500 via a suitable network, including a local area network or the internet. The memory 540 may be volatile or non-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor, tape, optical, removable, non-removable or other type of storage device or tangible (ie non-transitory) computer readable medium.

[0144] The memory 540 may include data 560. Data 560 may include any form of data used by controller 314 in controlling ion (eg, proton) therapy treatment via system 300. For example, data 560 may include data related to the operation of various components of system 300, feedback parameters associated with various components of operating system 300, data collected from one or more detectors associated with system 300, It may include treatment plans for particular patients or particular diseases, calibration data for various components of system 300, and the like.

[0145] I/O device 530 may include one or more devices configured to allow reception and/or transmission of data by computing system 500. I/O device 530 is one or more digital and/or analog communication devices that allow computing system 500, such as other components of system 300 shown in FIG. 3, to communicate with other machines and devices. Can be included. For example, computing system 500 may include interface components that include one or more keyboards, mouse devices, displays, touch screens, card readers, biometric readers, cameras, scanners, microphones, wireless communication devices, and the like. An interface to one or more input devices, such as those similar to, can be provided so that computing system 500 can receive input from an operator of controller 314. Further, I/O devices include one or more devices configured to allow control system 314 to communicate with one or more of the various devices of system 300, such as through wired or wireless communication channels. obtain.

[0146] The computing system 500 may also include one or more databases 570. Alternatively, computing system 500 may be communicatively coupled to one or more databases 570. The computing system 500 can be communicatively coupled to one or more databases 570 via a network, such as a wired or wireless network. Database 570 may include one or more memory devices that store information and are accessed and/or managed through computing system 500.

[0147] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary electromagnetic radiation source 302. As shown in FIG. 6, the electromagnetic radiation source 302 includes one or more oscillators 602, pump sources 604, optics components 606, diagnostic components 608, stretchers 610, amplifiers 612, compressors 614 and controllers 616. You can The configuration of FIG. 6 is merely one example and consistent with the disclosed embodiments, implementing a number of other configurations incorporating one or more of electromagnetic radiation source 302, components of system 300, or other components. can do.

[0148] Oscillator 602 may include one or more lasers to generate an initial laser pulse 618 that is manipulated (eg, shaped and/or amplified) to reach the requirements of electromagnetic radiation beam 316. Various lasers or laser systems can be used as the oscillator 602, including commercial laser systems.

[0149] Pump source 604 may include an independent laser or one or more laser systems configured to transfer energy into laser pulses 618. In some embodiments, pump source 604 can be connected to the output of oscillator 602 by an optical beamline that incorporates one or more optics components 306. Additionally or alternatively, pump source 604 can include other pumping mechanisms such as flash lamps, diode lasers and diode pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers or the like. In some embodiments, pump source 604 may be configured to modify the time profile of electromagnetic radiation beam 316. For example, the control system 314 may be configured to control the timing of the pump source 604 and thereby the pre-pulse and pedestal timing of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[0150] Optics component 606 may include any of the components described in relation to optics component 306, and may include any of the roles and/or functions described in relation to optics component 306. Can be performed.

[0151] The diagnostic 608 includes optical, opto-mechanical or electronic components designed to monitor the laser pulse 618, eg, its temporal and spatial properties, spectral properties, timing and/or other properties. obtain. More specifically, diagnostic 608 includes one or more photodiodes, oscilloscopes, cameras, spectrum meters, phase sensors, autocorrelators, cross-correlators, power meters or energy meters, laser position and/or direction sensors (eg, , A pointing sensor), a dazzler (or a muzzler), and the like. Also, diagnostics 608 may include or include any of the components identified above in relation to optics component 606.

[0152] The stretcher 610 may be configured to chirp or stretch the laser pulses 618. More specifically, stretcher 610 may include one or more diffraction gratings, or may include other dispersive components such as prisms, chirped mirrors and the like.

[0153] The amplifier 612 can include an amplification medium such as, for example, titanium sapphire crystal, CO ₂ gas, or Nd:YAG crystal. The amplifier 612 can also include a holder for the amplification medium. The holder may be configured to match the conditions of the supporting environment, such as positioning, temperature and others. Amplifier 612 may be configured to receive energy from pump source 604 and transfer this energy to laser pulses 618.

[0154] The compressor 614 may include optical components configured to temporally compress the laser pulse 618 to, for example, a final duration. The compressor 614 can be constructed from a diffraction grating positioned on the holder and positioned in the vacuum chamber. Alternatively, the compressor 614 can be constructed from, for example, dispersive fibers or prisms. In addition, compressor 614 may also include mirrors or other optics components 306 as well as motors and other electronically controlled opto-mechanics.

[0155] The controller 616 may include one or more electronic systems that control and/or synchronize various components of the electromagnetic radiation source 302. The controller 616 may include any combination of controllers, power supplies, computers, processors, pulse generators, high voltage power supplies and other components. By way of example, controller 616 may include one or more computing systems 500, which may be dedicated to electromagnetic radiation source 302 or shared with other components of system 300. Can be done. In some embodiments, some or all of the functions of controller 616 may be performed by controller 314 of system 300.

[0156] The controller 616 may interface with various components of the electromagnetic radiation source 302 and other components of the system 300 via various communication channels. The communication channel may be configured to transmit electrical or other signals to control the various optical and opto-mechanical components associated with the radiation source 302 or system 300. Communication channels may include conductors compatible with high voltage, electrical triggers, various wired or wireless communication protocols, optical communication and other components. The controller 616 can receive inputs from optical and mechanical diagnostics along the electromagnetic radiation source 302 and from diagnostics 608 along other parts of the system 300. In addition, the controller 616 can also receive signals from or based on inputs from the user, such as signals based on patient treatment plans entered by the user.

[0157] FIG. 7 depicts an example of a gantry 700 consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, gantry 310 (FIG. 3) may be configured in the form of gantry 700, but this is not intended to be limiting and other gantry designs may be utilized. The gantry 700 can supply the proton beam 318 to the isocenter 712. In some embodiments, the isocenter 712 may represent a location in or within a treatment volume. The gantry 700 may also be configured for beam conditioning and reconstruction to properly direct the proton beam 318 before or during treatment. The gantry 700 may include a solenoid 704, a coupling 706, one or more beam conditioning components 708, one or more collimators 718 and one or more scanning magnets 710. Height 714 and width 716 can vary widely based on a number of possible configurations of gantry 700. In some embodiments, either or both height 714 and width 716 can be as small as 2.5 meters.

[0158] In some embodiments, the gantry 700 can be separated from other components of the system 300 by walls 702 or other barriers. The wall 702 may include one or more openings (not shown) to allow passage of the proton beam 318 and any beam lines or other equipment configured to supply the proton beam 318. .. The location of wall 702 may vary depending on several factors, and in some embodiments wall 702 may be absent.

[0159] Solenoid 704 may be configured to capture the protons emitted by ion producing target 304. In some embodiments, the protons emitted by the ionogenic target 304 can exhibit large divergence. As an example, the beam size of the protons emitted from the ion production target 304 may expand by a factor of 100 at short distances such as 1 cm. Solenoid 704 may be configured to reduce the convergence of proton beam 318.

[0160] The solenoid 704 may include, for example, a high field solenoid such as a superconducting solenoid at 9-15T. The magnetic field strength may be related to the length of the solenoid and the resulting beam size. The higher the magnetic field strength of the solenoid, the smaller the beam size and aperture required in the solenoid 704 may result. Solenoid 704 may vary in length based on magnetic field strength and other factors. In some embodiments, the solenoid 704 can have a length of 0.55 m to 0.85 m with an aperture of 4 cm to 20 cm. In some embodiments, the solenoid 704 can be used in connection with one or more collimators. Further, in some embodiments, one or more quadrupoles may be utilized in addition to or instead of solenoid 704.

[0161] Coupling 706 may be any mechanical and optical connection configured to facilitate physical movement of gantry 700, such as rotation about an axis of rotation such as axis 716. The gantry may be configured to physically move by any suitable configuration of motors and/or actuators that may be controlled by the control system 314. Coupling 706 may include one or more bearings or bushings and may be connected to and/or integrated into the beamline carrying proton beam 318. Accordingly, the coupling 706 may be configured to maintain an encapsulant or other barrier to prevent loss of vacuum or other environmental conditions within the beamline. Further, the coupling 706 can include optics that are invariant in terms of rotation, eg, to reduce tuning dependence as a function of gantry position.

[0162] The gantry 700 may further include one or more beam conditioning components 708. Beam conditioning component 708 may include any of the beam conditioning components 308 described above configured to guide a proton beam 318 through a gantry. In some embodiments, the beam conditioning component 708 can include an electromagnet, such as a dipole and/or quadrupole, configured to redirect the proton beam 318 through the gantry 700. The beam conditioning component 708 may include a normal conducting dipole, a super ferromagnetic superconducting dipole, a stripline dipole, and the like.

[0163] In some embodiments, the beam conditioning component 708 can form a rectangle (or any other combination of angles to form a rectangle or another desired shape) (eg, each of about (Fold the proton beam 318 by 45°) dipole pairs. The dipole pair can operate at about 4.8T and can be about 0.6m in length. The straight sections between the dipole pairs can be independently adjusted, thereby providing customization within the electromagnetic optics according to tuning range, flexibility alignment. By splitting the 90° bend in two, reference trajectory control is improved when each dipole is independently adjusted, eg, via a shunt on a single power supply, thereby providing at least 10%. Variations (20% total relative change when considering the two) can be provided. Thus, the dipole pairs can facilitate independent trajectory correction on each arm of the gantry 700, thereby reducing tolerance and cost.

[0164] The gantry 700 may also include one or more collimators 718. The collimator 718 may be configured to filter the proton beam 318 such that only protons that move in a desired direction and/or have a desired amount of travel are allowed to pass. Collimator 718 can be located at various locations within gantry 700. For example, if the beam conditioning component 708 has a colorless property that produces an undesired effect on the downstream beam, the collimator 718 may be configured to offset such effect.

[0165] The gantry 700 may further include one or more scanning magnets 710. Scanning magnet 710 can include a beam conditioning component, such as beam conditioning component 308 or 708, configured to adjust the location of isocenter 712 in space. The scanning magnet 710 can be controlled by the control system 314 to adjust the location of treatment provided to the treatment volume, for example. Scanning magnet 710 can be located at any of several locations within gantry 700. For example, scanning magnet 710 may be located upstream of one or more beam conditioning components 708 and downstream of all beam conditioning components, as shown in FIG. 7, or such. It can be located as a combination of upstream and downstream locations.

[0166] The system 300 may be configured such that the scanning magnet operates in cooperation with other components to control the location of treatment within the patient. For example, control system 314 can control any combination of scanning magnets 710, movement of gantry 700, and movement of patient support platform 312. One or more components may be configured for control of particular dimensions and/or degrees of freedom. For example, the patient support platform can be configured to adjust the patient position in one dimension while the scanning magnet 710 is adjusting in another dimension orthogonal to this first dimension.

[0167] Alternatively or in addition, the system 300 may be configured such that coarse adjustment, rather than fine adjustment, in a given dimension may be performed by different components. For example, a coarse adjustment in a particular dimension can be performed by a motor configured to operate the patent support platform 312, with fine adjustment being performed by the scanning magnet 710. Many combinations of such adjustments will be apparent to those of skill in the art.

[0168] FIG. 8 depicts a further example of a gantry 800. Gantry 800 includes some or all of the same components as gantry 700, such as solenoid 704, coupling 706, one or more beam conditioning components 708, one or more collimators 718 and one or more scanning magnets 710. Can be included and can further include an additional quadrupole element 802. Quadrupole element 802 is a part of the magnetic beam line and is a magnetic element that assists in the delivery of proton beams to the treatment volume. The quadrupole element 802 typically focuses or defocuses the beam of charged particles, as opposed to some larger dipoles, which can often be used as bending magnets to fold the proton beam. Used for. Quadrupole element 802 provides a permanent magnet (eg, made of a rare earth element and/or other magnetic material), a normal electromagnet, a superconducting electromagnet, a pulsed magnet, or a suitable fixed or tunable magnetic field. It could be another device with the ability to

[0169] FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart of a process 900 for proton beam formation. At step 902, an electromagnetic radiation source (eg, source 302) may emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation (eg, beam 316). At step 904, the beam of electromagnetic radiation may strike an ion producing target (eg, target 304). At step 906, the interaction of the electromagnetic radiation beam with the ion producing target may produce particles containing protons. In step 908, one or more proton beam conditioning components (eg, component 308) can form a proton beam (eg, beam 318) from the particles and direct the proton beam to a treatment volume within the patient. You can The steps of process 900 may be performed automatically, such as by control system 314. Also, the steps of process 900 may be performed in response to user input, such as through a control system, or may be performed by a combination of automatic and manual operation of various components. In some embodiments, process 900 can be performed based on specifications in a treatment plan, which can be customized to varying degrees based on the particular patient, treatment type, and/or treatment volume.

[0170] The electromagnetic radiation beam emitted in step 902 may be generated via any component capable of generating a radiation beam, eg, various combinations of components described in relation to FIG. it can.

[0171] At step 904, a beam of electromagnetic radiation may strike the ion-producing target. For example, the ion production target 304 can be disposed in an interaction chamber that isolates the ion production target from the external environment. Upon striking the ion producing target 304, the interaction of the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 with the ion producing target 304 may produce various particles including protons that may be used in the proton beam 318. In some embodiments, the protons can be emitted with a proton energy of about 250 MeV from a location on the ion-producing target 304 that was hit by an electromagnetic radiation beam 316 focused to a spot size of about 10-100 μm. .. The two-dimensional divergence angle of the protons emitted from the ion production target 304 can be about 0.2 radians (ie, about 11 degrees). In addition, the proton energy angular distribution ∂Ω/∂E and the proton number energy distribution ∂N/∂E can be very small so that the energy angle distribution and the proton number energy distribution are reasonably constant. As an example, a pulse of an electromagnetic radiation beam can result in the emission of 10 ⁸ protons and the pulse can be repeated at a rate of 10-1000 Hz. Accordingly, the pulsed electromagnetic radiation beam 316 may thereby produce pulsed proton beams 318. Also, the proton pulse can be referred to as a proton "group."

[0172] According to the present disclosure, an ion generation target may be supported by and/or housed within an interaction chamber. An interaction chamber as used in this disclosure can mean any structure configured to isolate a target from ambient conditions and provide a suitable environment for ion production.

[0173] According to the present disclosure, the interaction chamber may include, for example, a target stage. A target stage as used in this disclosure can refer to any structure configured to support an ion producing target. In some embodiments, the target stage can be controlled by a processor configured to cause relative movement between the target stage and the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[0174] According to the present disclosure, the interaction chamber may include one or more detectors. A detector as used herein may mean a device that detects one or more properties of sample chamber conditions, electromagnetic radiation source or beam, proton beam and/or laser-target interaction. The detector can, for example, observe any condition in and/or near the interaction chamber. In some embodiments, the system for producing a proton beam may include other detectors separate from the interaction chamber. As an example, the detector may be configured to measure at least one laser-target interaction property.

[0175] Laser-target interaction as used in this disclosure may refer to observable properties related to the interaction of an electromagnetic radiation beam with an ion-producing target. The laser-target interaction property indicates, for example, a proton beam property, a secondary electron emission property, an X-ray emission property, a proton beam energy, a proton beam flux, and/or an interaction between an electromagnetic radiation beam and an ion-producing target. Other properties may be included.

[0176] FIG. 10 depicts an example of an interaction chamber 1000. The interaction chamber 1000 can have any size and shape and can be constructed from any one or more materials capable of containing a target during laser-target interaction. Stainless steel is an example of a material that can be used to build the interaction chamber 1000.

[0177] The interaction chamber 1000 may include other components within the interaction chamber 1000, such as the ion production target 304 and/or one or more optics components, one or more beam conditioning components, detectors or the like. May include one or more stages 1002 configured to support the device of FIG. The one or more stages 1002 can be fixed or adjustable. The adjustable stage may be configured for translation and/or rotation along one or more axes. The adjustment of the one or more stages 1002 can be manual or automated. Automated adjustments may be performed in response to one or more signals provided by control system 314, for example. One or more stages 1002 may optionally be configured to heat, cool, or maintain the temperature of ion production target 304. Temperature control can be achieved, for example, by monitoring the temperature of the ion production target 304 and raising, lowering, or maintaining the temperature of the ion production target 304 in response to the measured temperature. Temperature monitoring can be accomplished, for example, by one or more thermocouples, one or more infrared temperature sensors and/or any other technique used to measure temperature. Temperature adjustment can be performed, for example, by adjusting the amount of current flowing through the heating element. The heating element can be, for example, a refractory metal such as tungsten, rhenium, tantalum, molybdenum niobium and/or alloys thereof. In addition, for the temperature adjustment, for example, a refrigerant such as water or a cryogenic fluid (liquid oxygen, liquid helium, liquid nitrogen, etc.) is caused to flow through a conduit arranged in direct or indirect thermal communication with the ion generation target 304. Can also be carried out. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, these exemplary schemes for adjusting temperature are compatible and combinable. Of course, these temperature adjustment methods are not intended to be limiting, and any other known method for heating, cooling, and maintaining the temperature of the ion-generating target 304 herein may be used herein. Can be used with the disclosure in the book.

[0178] Interaction chamber 1000 may include one or more associated vacuum pumps 1004. For example, either or both sample preparation and proton beam formation may have sub-atmospheric atmospheric pressure requirements or achieve optimal performance within certain ranges of sub-atmospheric pressure. One or more vacuum pumps 1004 may be used to affect the pressure conditions within the interaction chamber 1000 and/or the components associated with the interaction chamber 1000. For example, one or more vacuum pumps 1004 can maintain a vacuum or near vacuum in the interaction chamber 1000. Examples of one or more vacuum pumps 1004 may include one or more turbomolecular pumps, cryogenic pumps, ion pumps or mechanical pumps such as diaphragm or roots pumps. One or more vacuum pumps 1004 can operate in connection with one or more pressure regulators (not shown).

[0179] Interaction chamber 1000 may include optics component 1006. Any of the components described above in connection with one or more optics components 306 can be used inside the interaction chamber to further direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the interaction chamber may include a mirror 1006a configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 toward the ion production target 304. In one embodiment, the interaction chamber 1000 may include a parabolic mirror 1006b configured to focus the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 onto the ion production target 304.

[0180] The interaction chamber 800 may include any number of proton beam conditioning components 308. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, interaction chamber 1000 may include collimator 1010. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more other proton beam conditioning components 308 may alternatively or additionally be included in the interaction chamber 800. In various embodiments, any of the one or more beam conditioning components 308 can be incorporated into the interaction chamber 1000.

[0181] Interaction chamber 1000 may include and interface with beamline 1012, as described above in connection with one or more proton beam conditioning components 308. Beamline 1012 may include a conduit maintained at sub-atmospheric pressure to facilitate propagation of proton beam 318. Beamline 812 may include a proton beam conditioning component, such as any of the elements referenced above in relation to one or more proton beam conditioning components 308. The beamline 812 may also include a vacuum pump, such as any of the pumps described in connection with one or more vacuum pumps 1004, for achieving and/or maintaining sub-atmospheric pressure conditions.

[0182] Interaction chamber 1000 may include one or more valves 1014. Any one or more suitable valves may be used and may be positioned, for example, between various parts of the interaction chamber 1000 or between the interaction chamber 1000 and other components of the system 300 or its surrounding environment. .. The one or more valves 1014 may be configured to isolate one or more vacuum pumps 1004 or beamlines 1012, for example. The one or more valves 1014 can be manual or automatic. The automatic valve can be, for example, gas pressure and/or electronic. The one or more valves 1014 can be simple on-off valves, such as a two-position gate valve, or the one or more valves 1014 can be configured to partially open. The one or more valves 1014 associated with the one or more vacuum pumps 1004 may include, for example, one or more butterfly valves that may continuously change between open and closed states. One or more valves 1014 may be configured to maintain pressure, retain or release material, and/or allow access to interaction chamber 800 for maintenance or replacement of a portion of the ion-generating target. ..

[0183] Interaction chamber 1000 may include one or more shutters 1016. The one or more shutters 1016 may be configured to block or allow the beam of electromagnetic radiation 1016 into the chamber 1000, for example. The one or more shutters 1016 can be, for example, simple open/close shutters. Also, one or more shutters 1016 may be configured to chop the electromagnetic radiation beam 316, as appropriate. The operation of the one or more shutters 1016 may be manual or automated. Automated operation may occur in response to one or more signals provided by control system 314, for example.

[0184] The interaction chamber 1000 may include one or more windows 1018. The window 1018 may be constructed of any material suitable for pressure, temperature and other environmental factors associated with the interaction chamber 1000.

[0185] As mentioned above, the interaction chamber 1000 may be configured to form an ion-generating target in situ. The system 300 also includes a separate or substantially separate preparation chamber (not shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 10) that is connected to the interaction chamber 1000 and is configured for target preparation and/or conditioning. ) May be included. The preparation chamber contains various equipment for preparing ion-producing targets, such as equipment that may be found in systems performing evaporation, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, atomic layer deposition, and the like. A device may be included. The preparation chamber may also include one or more stages that hold the ion-generating target 304 or a target substrate that will serve as a template for forming the ion-generating target 304. The preparation chamber may also include a mechanism to transfer the ion producing target to a location within the interaction chamber following preparation. Instead of or in addition to the use of separate or substantially separate preparation chambers, the interaction chamber 1000 may also have provisions such that sample preparation or conditioning may occur within the interaction chamber 1000. Yes (not shown in Figure 6 or Figure 10).

[0186] The preparation chamber may also include one or more samples such as temperature control elements (described in relation to stage 1002), transfer arms or any other transfer device known to those skilled in the vacuum system to those skilled in the art. Transport mechanisms may also be included. The system 300 can also include a load lock between the sample preparation chamber and the interaction chamber 1000.

[0187] The interaction chamber 1000 may further include heating and/or cooling elements (not shown in Figure 10). Either or both sample preparation and particle beam forming may have temperature requirements or achieve optimal performance at a particular range of temperatures. The interaction chamber may include heating and/or cooling elements configured to achieve and maintain such temperature conditions. The heating and cooling elements have been described in connection with one or more stages 1002, provided that they are configured to control the temperature conditions of other parts of the interaction chamber 1000 or of the interaction chamber 1000 as a whole. Any of the described temperature control devices and/or methods may be included.

[0188] Interaction chamber 1000 may include one or more detectors 1020. Detector 1020 may be configured to measure a condition associated with interaction chamber 1000. In some embodiments, the measurements may be taken one at a time. That is, the detector 1020 may be configured to measure properties associated with individual interactions between the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 and the ion production target 304. The detector 1020 can also measure the same or different properties in a more continuous manner, eg, providing results after processing.

[0189] The placement of the detector 1020 may vary based on several factors, including the space constraints of the measurement and the optimal location. As shown in FIG. 10, the detector 1020 may be configured such that the ion producing target 304 (such as detectors 1020b and 1020c) along the outer wall of the interaction chamber 1000 (such as detector 1020a). Can be located in the vicinity of or along a proton beam 318 (such as 1020d).

[0190] For some detectors 1020, there are advantages to detection in the vicinity of the interaction between the ion producing target 304 and thus the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 and the ion producing target 304 (laser-target interaction). You can In one embodiment, system 300 will be stable over time, after which such proximity may be unnecessary. In some embodiments, one or more detectors 1020 can be mounted outside the interaction chamber 1000. For example, FIG. 10 depicts detector 1020e outside interaction chamber 1000 near window 1018. The detector 1020 can be arranged so that it is exposed to the property for which the measurement is intended, or conditions within the interaction chamber 1000 can be modified to facilitate the measurement. For example, one or more optics components 1006 include steering mirrors configured to temporarily or intermittently deflect the signal from the interaction area to a detector, such as detector 1020e, through window 1018. obtain. The detector arrangements described above are for illustrative purposes only, and many others will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0191] In some embodiments, the one or more detectors 1020 can be configured to measure one or more laser-target interaction properties of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 or the proton beam 318. In some embodiments, the detector 1020 is a quadrupole analyzer, spherical mirror analyzer (“SMA”), cylindrical mirror analyzer (“CMA”), secondary electron detector, photomultiplier tube, scintillator, solid state. It may include detectors, time-of-flight detectors, laser-on-target optical diagnostic detectors, X-ray detectors, cameras, Faraday cups or other detectors. The detector 1020 may detect properties such as absorption or reflection, secondary electron emission properties, plasma properties such as electron temperature and/or density and/or x-ray emission properties. Secondary emission, such as electron and/or x-ray emission, may be indicative of laser-target interaction properties and/or proton beam 318 properties. For example, electron and/or x-ray energy spectra and/or fluxes may indicate proton beam properties. As a result, these signals may result in, for example, position/position of the electromagnetic radiation source 302, the one or more optics components 306, the one or more proton beam conditioning components 308, and the ion production target 304, as described in more detail below. By adjusting one or more of the orientations, it can be used as an input in a feedback loop to modify the laser-target interaction.

[0192] The detector 1020 may be configured to detect a proton beam direction, spatial spread, intensity, flux, energy, proton energy and/or energy spread. For example, in some embodiments a Thompson parabola can be utilized. In such an embodiment, the proton beam 318 can be guided within an area where magnetic and electric fields deflect the protons to locations on the detection screen. Where the protons come into contact with the screen can indicate proton energy. For such screens, any proton sensitive device can be used, such as a CR-39 plate, an image plate and/or a scintillator (coupled to an imaging device such as a CCD camera). As another example, the spatial proton distribution can be detected by a screen sensitive to protons, such as CR-39 and image plates, or a scintillator with a detection device (such as a camera) can be used.

[0193] The detector 1020 may also include a time-of-flight detector. Time-of-flight detectors can measure average proton energy. In some embodiments, the time-of-flight detector may include a proton scintillator and a detector with sufficient time resolution, such as a photomultiplier tube (PMT). The time at which the proton signature is detected on the PMT may indicate the proton velocity and thus the proton energy.

[0194] The detector 1020 is also a device configured for plasma diagnostics, such as an X-ray spectrometer configured to detect electron temperature and density or an interferometer configured to detect plasma density. Can also be included. Optical diagnostics can include imaging the reflected laser beam to measure laser absorption efficiency. These detectors may be used during initial system design, calibration and testing, and they may optionally be included in the final system.

[0195] Referring again to FIG. 9, in step 906, the interaction of the beam of electromagnetic radiation (eg, 316) with the ion producing target (eg, 304) may produce particles containing protons. In some embodiments, the surface of the ion producing target 304 can be scanned by the electromagnetic radiation beam 316. For example, the electromagnetic beam 316 can be continuously scanned over the surface of the ion producing target 304 by continuous or discontinuous rastering, step scanning, or any other scanning waveform desired. Alternatively, the electromagnetic beam 316 may be discontinuously scanned over the surface of the ion production target 304. Scanning the beam of electromagnetic radiation can be accomplished by manually or automatically adjusting one or more optics components 306 disposed between the source of electromagnetic radiation 302 and the ion production target 304. Automatic adjustment of the one or more optics components 306 can be accomplished, for example, in response to one or more signals provided by control system 314. The one or more control signals provided by control system 314 may be predefined by a program, such as a program stored in computing system 500, or may be different from system 300, such as one or more detectors. It may be provided in response to one or more feedbacks received from the element. For example, information from one or more detectors in system 300 may indicate that changing the site location of the laser-target interaction is desirable. This and other examples of feedback are described in more detail below.

[0196] At step 908, the system 300 can form a proton beam 318 from the particles and can direct the proton beam 318 into a treatment volume. The protons generated in step 906 may not initially be arranged in a useful configuration or trajectory. Protons can be formed as proton beams, for example by one or more beam conditioning components 308. The properties of the proton beam may change based on the configuration of system 300 and between uses. In one embodiment, the proton energy can be about 250 MeV, and can have a range of, for example, 60-250 MeV, as described above. The proton flux is about 2 Gy/min, and the proton pulse duration can be less than 100 psec. Also, the protons produced by the system 300 may have a symmetrical phase space profile, which allows for improved steering and filtering of the proton beam as compared to accelerator-based proton production systems, thereby protons. The accuracy and efficiency of line delivery and treatment is improved. Of course, the above ranges are examples only, and these specific energies and fluxes may vary based on configuration details.

[0197] According to the present disclosure, feedback can be used to adjust one or more properties of the proton beam. The feedback used in this disclosure is that one or more system outputs are returned (i.e. fed back into the system) as one or more inputs as part of a "cause and effect" chain. It can mean a control protocol. For example, the processor (described above) may be configured to generate a feedback signal to control aspects of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the proton beam and/or the laser-target interaction. Such feedback signals may be based on, for example, one or more properties of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the proton beam and/or the laser-target interaction. In some embodiments, the feedback signal adjusts at least one of the position and orientation of the electromagnetic radiation beam in relation to the electromagnetic radiation source, the one or more optics components, and/or the ion producing target to produce a proton. You can change the line. Feedback can be used, in some examples, to determine the structure of the ion producing target.

[0198] The feedback signal may be configured to modify the aspect of the electromagnetic radiation beam. For example, the processor may generate one or more feedback signals configured to adjust the electromagnetic radiation source to change the temporal profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. Further, the electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to generate a main pulse and a prepulse of the electromagnetic radiation beam, and the processor causes the electromagnetic radiation source to change the contrast ratio of the prepulse to the main pulse in response to the feedback signal. Can be configured to cause.

[0199] Further, the processor may be configured to generate a feedback signal to modify the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam or the spatial or temporal profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. For example, one or more optics components can change the spot size of the electromagnetic radiation beam in response to the feedback signal. In some embodiments, the motor can change the relative orientation of the beam of electromagnetic radiation and the ion producing target in response to the feedback signal. Also, in some embodiments, the adaptive mirror can direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to the ion producing target in response to the feedback signal.

[0200] In some embodiments, feedback can be used to adjust the properties of the proton beam 318. FIG. 11 depicts a process flow in an exemplary process 1100 for utilizing such feedback. At step 1102, the system 300 may determine or program a desired value for the laser-target interaction property. The laser-target interaction properties may be based on any of the properties detected by any of the detectors 1020 described above. The desired value may be based on, for example, a nominal value associated with a desired quality at the proton beam 318, a value based on a desired property in a treatment plan, a nominal value associated with optimal operating conditions of the system 300, and the like.

[0201] At step 1104, the system 300 may generate one or more feedback signals based on the detected laser-target interaction properties. Feedback may be received and/or processed by the control system 314. For example, control system 314 can calculate adjustments for various components of system 300 by comparing the laser-target interaction property to the desired value of the laser-target interaction property established in step 1102. .. In some embodiments, the adjustment and comparison can be performed according to a feedback control algorithm such as a PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control loop. The one or more relationships defined by the one or more feedback signals may be linear (eg, increasing pulse duration may affect proton energy inversely).

). The feedback signal can often be set to zero (e.g., during start-up or idle periods) and can be set to an initial value that indicates no adjustment is required, or a default value that indicates an initial condition. ..

[0202] At step 1106, the system 300 may adjust one or more system components based on the feedback signal. For example, in some embodiments the control system 314 can be configured to adjust the properties of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 based on the feedback signal. The generated feedback may cause the motor to adjust the path of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316. The motor can regulate one or more of the one or more optics components 306, for example. Such adjustments may, for example, cause the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 to strike the ion-producing target 304 at one or more more desirable locations, thereby resulting in the proton beam resulting from the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 striking the ion-producing target 304. The properties of 318 can be changed. Such adjustments can also be such that the beam of electromagnetic radiation sequentially strikes a plurality of successive features of the ion producing target 304 such that the features are illuminated at a desired rate. In addition, the one or more optics components 306 can be configured to scan the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 over the surface of the ion production target 304. As another example, the ion producing target 304 can be operated by a motor based on a feedback signal to move the ion producing target 304 in any of the six degrees of freedom.

[0203] In some embodiments, in step 1108, the control system 314 causes the electromagnetic radiation source 302 to change the energy, wavelength or temporal or spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 in response to the feedback signal. You can The control system 314 can also cause the electromagnetic radiation source 302 to change the contrast ratio of the pre-pulse to the main pulse in response to the feedback signal. Such adjustment of the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 via the source of electromagnetic radiation 302 may be accomplished via, for example, one or more controllers 616, one or more oscillators 602, one or more pump sources 604, optics 606. It may be implemented by adjusting one or more of the one or more stretchers 610, the one or more amplifiers 612 and the one or more compressors 614. In some embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation source 302 or any optical element or other component of the one or more optics components 306 is modified, moved, or directed based on the feedback signal. , Or otherwise, which can result in any number of changes. The above examples are not intended to be limiting.

[0204] At step 1108, the system 300 may direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 to impinge the ion producing target 304, eg, as described above, in connection with steps 902 and 904 of the process 900 shown in FIG. it can.

[0205] At step 1110, the system 300 can detect laser-target interaction properties. The detected laser-target interaction property is generated by the properties described above in connection with detector 1020 and/or electromagnetic radiation beam 316, proton beam 318, laser-target interaction, fault condition or any component of the system. May include any one or more of any of the properties detected in relation to any other signal.

[0206] The laser-target interaction properties detected in step 1110 can be returned to step 1104, and the process 1100 can be repeated any number of times. For example, the process 1100 may be repeated a standard fixed number of times, a number preset by the control system 314, a number defined by the treatment plan, or a variable number determined in real time.

[0207] In some embodiments, the selection of protons of a particular energy and/or flux may be desired. For example, treatment of a particular depth of treatment volume within a patient may be desired, as described above in connection with the benefits of proton therapy. The depth of treatment can be defined by the selective release of protons at a particular energy level or range of energy levels. The dose of radiation delivered to the treatment volume depends in part on the proton flux. Therefore, it may be desirable to adjust the proton flux and proton energy produced by system 300.

[0208] According to the present disclosure, a system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles may include an ion source. An ion source as used in this disclosure can mean any structure or device configured to produce a continuous or pulsed ion beam. A pulsed ion beam can mean any group of ions that includes at least one group of ions (eg, a cluster of ions). In some embodiments, the ion source can include at least a radiation beam and an ion-producing target, as described above, but this example is not intended to be limiting. For example, a system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles consistent with the present disclosure may be used with any beam of charged particles produced by any method or device (including, for example, a cyclotron, synchrotron or other particle accelerator). can do.

[0209] Further, according to the present disclosure, a system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles may include at least one electromagnet. Electromagnet, as used herein, can mean any device that can be controlled to produce an electromagnetic field. In some embodiments, the at least one electromagnet may include a plurality of electromagnets in series along the trajectory of the pulsed ion beam.

[0210] Further consistent with the present disclosure, a system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles may include at least a zone proximate to an electromagnet. A zone in the vicinity of an electromagnet as used in this disclosure can mean any location where the electromagnetic field produced by the electromagnet has the ability to modify the trajectory of charged particles located within the zone. For example, the zone in the vicinity of the electromagnet may include any location oriented such that the ion beam may traverse through it. In some embodiments, the zones may include locations within the electromagnetic field created by the activation of the electromagnet. The size of the zones can vary depending on several factors, but in some embodiments the zones can have dimensions less than about 1 inch.

[0211] According to the present disclosure, a system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles may include at least one automated switch. An automated switch used in the present disclosure is configured to be electrically connected to an electromagnet and to selectively activate or deactivate at least one electromagnet when triggered by a signal. It can mean a device. The automated switch can be any switch that can be selectively activated or deactivated. For example, automated switches may include photoconductive semiconductor switches or spark switches. In some embodiments, the at least one automated switch can include multiple automated switches. Individual automated switches may be associated with different electromagnets or the same electromagnet. In some embodiments, the first electromagnet can be configured to redirect a portion of the pulsed ion beam from the original trajectory to the redirected trajectory. Some embodiments reconfigure at least a portion of the redirected portion of the pulsed ion beam from the redirected trajectory in series with the first electromagnet and into a path substantially parallel to the original trajectory. A second electromagnet configured to redirect can further be included.

[0212] According to the present disclosure, a system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles may include a radiation trigger source. Radiation trigger sources used in the present disclosure may include any structure capable of generating a radiation trigger to activate or deactivate at least one automated switch. For example, the radiation trigger source may include one or more of an ion source, an x-ray source, an electron source and a light source (eg, laser). In some embodiments, a radiation trigger generated by a radiation trigger source may be configured to activate or deactivate an automated switch and illuminate an ion producing target, thereby producing a pulsed ion beam. ..

[0213] According to the present disclosure, at least one processor may be configured to activate the at least one electromagnet as the group of ions traverses a zone in the vicinity of the electromagnet. The at least one processor can include any of the processors described above and can be configured to sequentially activate a plurality of automated switches as the group of ions traverses a series of electromagnets.

[0214] According to the present disclosure, a controlled delay line can be provided. A controlled delay line as used in this disclosure may mean a beam of radiation or a path configured to extend the time required for a charged particle to traverse it. For example, a controlled delay line can be used to delay the point in time when a group of ions crosses a zone near the electromagnet. As another example, a controlled delay line can be used to delay the point in time when a radiation beam activates an automated switch. In some embodiments, the controlled delay line is configured to synchronize the time the radiation beam activates the automated switch of the electromagnet with the time the pulsed ion beam traverses a zone in the vicinity of the electromagnet. obtain.

[0215] FIG. 12 is a graph for illustration of a proton energy profile in an ion group such as a proton group in the proton beam 318, for example. The pulse (or “swarm”) 1202 shown in FIG. 12 can be generated as described above in connection with the system 300 and the ion generation target 304. However, the use of the ion generation target 304 is merely an example and is not intended to be limiting. Other ion sources and ion types can also be used.

[0216] In connection with proton therapy, specific energies of protons may be desired to irradiate a treatment volume located at a specific depth within a patient. To sequester protons of the desired energy, system 300 filters proton beam 318 to deliver protons of the desired energy to the patient by removing protons of the other energy from the proton beam. You can For example, to provide protons 1204 with energies from energy 1206 to energy 1208, system 300 filters protons 1202 by removing all protons with energies below energy 1206 and above energy 1208. You can

[0217] Such filtering can be realized by combining specific proton beam adjusting components 308. For example, the proton beam conditioning component 308 can manipulate the proton beam 318 such that protons having a particular energy are redirected along a different trajectory than protons having other energies. This can be achieved in several ways. For example, the proton beam conditioning component 308 can be configured as a bandpass filter for isolating protons having energies 1206-1208. In another embodiment, the proton beam conditioning component 308 may be configured as a high pass filter for isolating protons having energy above the energy cutoff, such as energy 1206 or 1208. In another embodiment, the proton beam conditioning component 308 may be configured as a low pass filter for isolating protons having an energy below the energy cutoff, such as energy 1206 or 1208.

[0218] The embodiments described above may be combined and multiple filters may be used. For example, a low pass filter and a high pass filter can be combined in series to produce a band pass filter. In such an embodiment, the low pass filter may be configured to isolate protons having an energy below energy 1208, and the high pass filter may isolate protons having an energy above energy 1206. Can be configured. This may be particularly advantageous for selecting protons in a narrow energy band, especially in a narrower energy band than a standalone bandpass filter may accommodate.

[0219] In order to achieve proton energy filtering, one or more of the proton beam conditioning components 308 are selectively activated and/or activated by one or more automated switches, such as spark switches or photoconductive switches. Or it can be controlled. Selective activation can be controlled by a controller 314, which can have an interface between automated switches and a proton beam conditioning component 308. The automated switch can be activated or deactivated by a signal generated by the controller 314. The signal may be generated based on feedback such as any of the forms of feedback described above.

[0220] In addition or in the alternative, in some embodiments, the automated switch may be configured for activation or deactivation by electromagnetic radiation, such as a laser or another light source. For example, the automated switch can include a photoconductive semiconductor switch disposed along the path of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316. Alternatively, the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 may be redirected by one or more of the optics components 306, or split into multiple beams by the optics component 306, one or more of the multiple beams being automated. Delivered to the switch. In such an embodiment, the automated switch may be activated or deactivated when hit by the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316. Thus, the beam of electromagnetic radiation may be configured for both automated switch activation and irradiation of the ion producing target 304 to produce the proton beam 318.

[0221] In other embodiments, the switching electromagnetic radiation source may not be associated with the electromagnetic radiation source 302 or the electromagnetic radiation source 316. For example, the control system 314 may cause the separate switching electromagnetic radiation source to illuminate one or more photoconductive semiconductor switches or spark switches, thereby activating or deactivating the proton beam conditioning component 308 of the one or more proton energy filters. Can occur.

[0222] Timing associated with automated switch activation within the proton energy filter includes, at least in part, a controlled delay line configured to adjust when the radiation beam activates the automated switch. Can be affected by a flight time control unit such as. For example, the controlled delay line may be configured to synchronize the timing of the automated switch with the radiation beam. Additionally or alternatively, the timing associated with automated switch activation within the proton energy filter may be controlled by the control system 314, eg, in response to a user command, in response to a feedback signal from the system 300, or according to a predetermined program. Can also be controlled by.

[0223] While the above description contemplates applications where protons are filtered within a proton therapy system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these filtering systems and methods have wide applicability. For example, these methods and systems described in connection with proton filtering may also be used to filter any of a variety of other charged particles used in any of a variety of other systems and applications. it can.

[0224] FIG. 13 depicts an example configuration of a proton beam conditioning component 308 configured to provide selection of proton energy as described above. Such a configuration may include one or more proton beam conditioning components 1302 and 1306 and a beam dump 1304.

[0225] In some embodiments, the beam conditioning components 1302 and 1306 can include a plurality of electromagnets arranged in series along the trajectory of the proton beam 318. Multiple automated switches can be associated with one or more different magnets or groups of magnets. The control system 314 may be configured to activate such multiple switches in various combinations to operate the proton beam 318. For example, the control system 314 can sequentially activate the automated switches as the protons traverse the magnets of the electromagnets. In one embodiment, the beam conditioning component 1302 may be configured to redirect a portion of the proton beam 318 from the original trajectory to the redirected trajectory. Beam conditioning component 1302 may be configured to redirect at least a portion of the redirected portion of the pulsed proton beam from the redirected trajectory into a path that is substantially parallel to the original trajectory.

[0226] As shown in FIG. 13, the proton beam 318 may pass through a zone in the vicinity of the proton beam conditioning component 1302. The zones can be of any size, but in some embodiments can have dimensions less than 1 inch. The zone in the vicinity of the proton beam conditioning component 1302 can be configured and/or directed such that a proton beam 318 (eg, a continuous beam or a pulsed beam containing pulses such as pulse 1202) traverses the zone. The proton conditioning component 1302 may include any of the proton beam conditioning components 308, such as, for example, an electromagnet such as a dipole, CMA, SMA or time of flight analyzer. As the proton beam traverses the zone in the vicinity of the proton beam conditioning component 1302, the automated switch causes the protons with the desired energy to travel along the trajectory 1310 to the beam conditioning component 1306, as shown in FIG. 13A. The proton beam conditioning component 1302 can be activated to be redirected. When a proton having energy to be removed from the proton beam 318 traverses a zone in the vicinity of the proton beam conditioning component 1302, the automated switch may not be activated, or an alternative switch may be activated, Therefore, the protons can move toward the beam dump 1304 along the trajectory 1308, as shown in FIG. 13B. Protons with the desired energy may pass through the beam conditioning component 1306, where they are redirected along the beamline trajectory 1312 and finally back towards the treatment volume.

[0227] In some embodiments (not shown), the proton energy filter may include only a single beam conditioning component and a beam dump. Instead of redirecting the protons with the desired energy towards the second electromagnetic element, the protons with the desired energy are allowed to pass through a zone in the vicinity of the proton beam conditioning component without being redirected. can do. As the protons with the energy to be filtered out of the proton beam pass through the zone in the vicinity of the proton beam conditioning component, they can be redirected along the trajectory towards the beam dump.

[0228] In some embodiments, the proton energy filter may include an energy degrader. For example, the energy degrader can be used as part of the beam dump 1304. In addition, energy degraders can be used to reduce the energy and/or flux of protons that are not redirected towards the beam dump. To filter the protons using an energy degrader, the protons can be redirected through the degrader, where the protons interact with the degrader. Protons that have passed through the degrader along the proton trajectory will have a reduced energy, which results in a lower proton beam energy. The other protons may be absorbed by the energy degrader, or may be diverted from the trajectory of the proton beam, so that they no longer form part of the transmitted proton beam, and the flux of the proton beam transmitted thereby. Is reduced. The energy degrader may include, for example, carbon, plastics, metals such as beryllium, copper or lead, or any material that is effective in reducing the energy or flux of the proton beam. The energy degrader also includes wedges, double wedges separated by gaps (which may be filled with air or another material), cylinders, rectangles, or any other material or configuration having the ability to degrade the beam, It can be composed of any shape that is effective in reducing the energy or flux of the proton beam.

[0229] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above proton beam filter configurations are for illustrative purposes only, and that other configurations are envisioned consistent with the embodiments described herein. You will recognize.

[0230] According to the present disclosure, a system for treating a treatment volume with a proton may include a proton source. A proton source as used in this disclosure can mean any material, system or subsystem that has releasable protons or has the ability to release protons. The proton source may be configured to provide a proton beam with multiple proton energies within the proton energy spread.

[0231] Further in accordance with the present disclosure, a system for treating a therapeutic volume with a proton is configured to control relative movement between a proton beam and the therapeutic volume in two dimensions of a three-dimensional coordinate system. And at least one processor. The at least one processor may include, for example, any of the processors described above. In some embodiments, the processor causes the proton energy to adjust the depth of the treatment volume in the third dimension of the three-dimensional coordinate system while maintaining substantially fixed coordinates in the other two dimensions. It can be configured to control the spread. For example, the third dimension of the three-dimensional coordinate system may mean the proper direction of the proton trajectory, and the other two dimensions mean the plane orthogonal to the third dimension.

[0232] Controlling the relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume in the two dimensions of the three-dimensional coordinate system can be accomplished in a number of ways. For example, control of relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume can be achieved by rotating the gantry. Alternatively or additionally, control of the relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume can be achieved by guiding the proton beam by an electromagnet and/or moving the patient support platform.

[0233] Similarly, control of energy spread and distribution or protons can also be achieved by various methods. According to the present disclosure, control of energy spread may be achieved, for example, via one or more of a magnetic analyzer, a time-of-flight control unit and an energy degrader.

[0234] The system 300 may be configured to change one or more properties of the proton beam 318 while others remain substantially stationary. In some embodiments, such variations may be achieved via feedback such as those described in connection with process 1100. For example, the control system 314 may keep the flux of the proton beam 318 substantially constant while independently adjusting the energy of the proton beam 318, or the proton beam 318 while adjusting its flux independently. Energy can be held substantially constant. Such independent adjustment may not be feasible in accelerator-based systems due to its large size and slow response time. However, the systems and methods disclosed herein reconfigure the properties of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 and the laser-target interaction, thereby independently adjusting the energy and flux of the proton beam 318 ( By combining feedback (described above) with the adjustable components of system 300 (also described above), independent energy and flux control can be achieved. Accordingly, accurate therapy can be delivered more quickly than conventional systems, which reduces patient time spent in therapy and increases patient throughput. Moreover, the treatment can be provided more accurately and with less damage to healthy tissue. Instead, the systems and methods disclosed herein reconfigure the properties of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 and the laser-target interaction, thereby simultaneously adjusting the energy and flux of the proton beam 318 (described above). By combining feedback (of the above) with adjustable components of system 300 (also described above), simultaneous control of energy and flux may also be achieved.

[0235] In one embodiment, the energy and flux of the proton beam 318 is determined by the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316, the location of the electromagnetic radiation beam on the ion production target 304, the temporal profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316, the spatial profile of the radiation beam 316. It can be adjusted according to the settings and options of one or more proton beam adjustment components 308. As an example, the energy of the proton beam 318 may be proportional to the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316, and the flux of the proton beam 318 may be proportional to the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316. It has the following relationships:

And φ _{p to} E _L (2)
Can be expressed by, where, _{I L} is the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316, _{E L} is the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316, A is the spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316 (e.g., spot Size), Δτ represents the time profile (eg, pulse duration) of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316, E _p is the energy of the proton beam 318, and φ _p is the flux of the proton beam 318. Accordingly, by appropriately adjusting one or more of the energy, spatial profile and temporal profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation 316, the energy of the proton beam 318 is kept substantially constant under varying fluxes of the proton beam 318. Yes, and vice versa. For example, to change the proton energy of the proton beam 318 without changing the proton flux, the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 at about 1 MeV while changing the pulse duration and/or spot size at the ion production target 304. It can be held constant.

[0236] Alternatively or additionally, the energy and flux of the proton beam 318 may be independently changed by selecting or adjusting one or more proton beam adjusting components 308, as appropriate. For example, this can be achieved by using one of the filtering systems and methods described above in connection with FIG. 13 or by using one or more energy degraders, for example.

[0237] In independently adjusting the flux of the proton beam 318, the variation of the usable proton beam 318 energy can be as large as ±25% or more, in which case the proton beam 318 is first formed. And, the system 300 may be capable of reducing such variations to about ±5% or less further down the beamline. In independently adjusting the energy of the proton beam 318, the variation of the usable proton beam 318 flux can be as large as ±25% or more, in which case the proton beam 318 is first formed and the system The 300 may have the ability to reduce such variations to about ±5% or less further down the beamline.

[0238] As an alternative to independent adjustment of the energy and flux of the proton beam 318, the energy and flux of the proton beam 318 may be changed simultaneously by, for example, selecting or adjusting one or more proton beam adjusting components 308 as appropriate. be able to. For example, this can be achieved by using one of the filtering systems and methods described above in connection with FIG. 13 or by using one or more energy degraders, for example.

[0239] Since the process variables fluctuate during operation, independent changes in the energy and flux of the proton beam 318 benefit greatly from the feedback adjustments described above in connection with FIG. For example, in operation, when the detected laser-target interaction property changes in step 1108, the control system 314 automatically automatically adjusts the system 300 in step 1104 via the feedback signal determined in step 1110. Can be adjusted.

[0240] The system 300 varies one or more properties of such a proton beam 318 while keeping other properties of the proton beam 318 fixed in the process for systematic treatment of the treatment volume. Can be configured to utilize. FIG. 14 depicts an example process 1400 for such a systematic treatment. At step 1402, the control system 314 can position a proton beam (eg, beam 318) with respect to the treatment volume in two dimensions of the three-dimensional coordinate system. For example, the third dimension can be defined by the trajectory of the proton line when leaving the gantry (eg, gantry 310), and the two dimensions of the three-dimensional coordinate system are the protons when leaving the gantry 310. It can be defined by a plane perpendicular to the locus of line 318. Relative movement between the proton beam 318 and the treatment volume in the two dimensions can be controlled by one or more components of the system 300. For example, relative movement can be controlled by any combination of one or more motors and/or magnets associated with gantry 310 and/or one or more motors associated with patient support platform 312. More specifically, the control system 314 controls one or more of rotation of the gantry 310, adjustment of the scanning magnet 710, and repositioning of the patient support platform 312 to provide relative movement between the proton beam 318 and the treatment volume. Can be configured to control physical movement.

[0241] At step 1404, a control system (eg, system 314) may be configured to control relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume in a third dimension of the three-dimensional coordinate system. Control system 314 can be configured to control such relative movement in the third dimension while maintaining substantially fixed coordinates in the other two dimensions. For example, the control system 314 can control the proton energy to adjust the treatment depth while leaving the position of the proton beam 318 in the other two dimensions fixed. Control of the proton energy in step 1404 can be accomplished via one or more of the techniques described above (with or without reference to the particular structure described above). For example, at least one of the energy, time profile and space profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam 316 may be adjusted according to Equation 1 above, the proton energy selection in FIGS. 12 and 13 may be used, and/or a magnetic analyzer, time of flight. One or more of the control unit and the energy degrader may be used.

[0242] An example of step 1404 is shown in FIGS. 15A, 15B and 15C, which depict a proton beam 318 penetrating the skin 1502 of a patient 1504 to provide treatment to a treatment volume 1506. ing. 15A, 15B and 15C may represent a series of treatment locations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. The system 300 is shown in FIG. 15C, as shown in FIG. 15B, and by treating the area 1510 by reducing the energy of the proton beam 318, and then further reducing the energy of the proton beam 318. 15A may be configured to treat area 1508 shown in FIG. 15A, which is a greater distance in the third dimension (ie, away from skin 1502 of patient 1504) prior to treating area 1512. Alternatively, area 1512 of FIG. 15C is treated, then the energy of proton beam 318 is increased to treat area 1510 of FIG. 15B, and then the energy of proton beam 318 is further increased to treat area 1508 of FIG. 15A. By doing so, the order can be reversed.

[0243] Step 1404 may include additional locations for treatment before, after, or in between areas 1508, 1510 and 1512 shown in Figures 15A, 15B and 15C. The control system 314 can also be configured to optimize treatment to consider the effects of a particular sequence. For example, protons passing through a treatment volume 1506 intended to treat area 1508 (ie, shown in FIG. 15A) will provide some associated treatment to areas 1510 and 1512 before reaching 1508. obtain. The control system 314 can take into account the associated doses delivered to areas 1510 and 1512 by adjusting the doses in the patient's treatment plan accordingly. For example, the control system 314 integrates all of the associated doses that would be delivered to areas 1510 and 1512 while directly treating other areas, such as area 1508, and the treatment of areas 1510 and 1512. It may be adapted to subtract its associated dose from the direct dose as appropriate. As a result, more accurate treatment can be realized.

[0244] At step 1406, the control system (eg, control system 314) may determine if another location is in need of treatment, or if treatment is complete. If the treatment is complete (step 1006: yes), the process 1400 can end. If the treatment is not complete (step 1006: NO), the process 1000 may return to step 1002, which repositions the proton beam 318 for the two dimensions, as shown in FIG. 15D. , And by changing the energy of the proton beam 318, the process of depth scanning in the third dimension is repeated.

[0245] While described herein with reference to exemplary embodiments, the scope is to be understood by equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, (eg, as those skilled in the art based on this disclosure). , Any and all embodiments having combinations, adaptations and/or modifications (of aspects across various embodiments). For example, the number and orientation of the components shown in the exemplary system can be changed. Moreover, the order and order of steps may be changed, and steps may be added or deleted, in the context of the exemplary method illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0246] Aspects of the invention may include a system for producing a proton beam, the system comprising an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target, and an electromagnetic chamber configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation. A radiation source, one or more optics components configured to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation to an ion-generating target, thereby producing a resulting proton beam, and at least one laser-target interaction property. A feedback signal based on at least one laser-target interaction property measured by the detector and an electromagnetic radiation source, one or more optics components and ions. A processor configured to modify the proton beam by adjusting at least one of at least one of a position and an orientation of the electromagnetic radiation beam relative to the production target.

[0247] The laser-target interaction properties can include proton beam properties such as proton beam energy and proton beam flux, and the properties can also include secondary electron emission properties. As another example, the laser-target interaction properties can include x-ray emission properties.

[0248] The electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to provide a pulsed electromagnetic radiation beam and thereby generate a pulsed proton beam.

[0249] The interaction chamber may include a target stage for supporting the ion producing target, and the processor is further configured to cause relative movement between the target stage and the electromagnetic radiation beam. obtain.

[0250] The structure of the ion-generating target can be determined based, at least in part, on the generated feedback signal generated from the measured laser-target interaction properties.

[0251] The electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to change the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam in response to the feedback signal, and/or may also be configured to generate a main pulse and a prepulse. The at least one processor may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to change the contrast ratio of the pre-pulse to the main pulse in response to the feedback signal.

[0252] In response to the feedback signal, at least one processor may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to alter the energy of one or more of the electromagnetic radiation beam or the spot size of the electromagnetic radiation beam. ..

[0253] At least one processor includes one or more optics components for changing a spot size of the electromagnetic radiation beam in response to the feedback signal, and/or a motor for generating the electromagnetic radiation beam and the ion generation in response to the feedback signal. It may be configured to cause a change in relative orientation with the target.

[0254] Aspects of the invention may also include a system for producing a proton beam, the system configured to provide an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target, and a beam of electromagnetic radiation. A source of electromagnetic radiation and an adaptive mirror configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to an ion-producing target in the interaction chamber, thereby producing a proton beam, the spot size of the beam of electromagnetic radiation and the beam of electromagnetic radiation. And at least one processor configured to control the adaptive mirror to adjust at least one of at least one of a relative position and orientation with respect to the ion producing target.

[0255] The adaptive mirror may be configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation by at least one of adjusting the focus of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, redirecting the beam of electromagnetic radiation, and scanning the beam of electromagnetic radiation. .. The adaptive mirror may also be configured to raster scan a beam of electromagnetic radiation across an ion producing target. The adaptive mirror may include multiple surfaces, each of the multiple surfaces being independently controllable by digital logic circuitry. The adaptive mirror may include a laser pulse focused on the antireflection coated substrate, one or both of the laser pulse and the antireflection coated substrate being controllable by digital logic circuitry.

[0256] At least one processor may be configured such that the adaptive mirror directs the beam of electromagnetic radiation to the ion producing target in response to the feedback signal, and/or the adaptive mirror directs the beam of electromagnetic radiation to a predetermined location on the surface of the ion producing target. Can be configured to cause leading to. The surface of the ion producing target may include a patterned array and/or a plurality of ion producing structures oriented substantially along a common axis. Alternatively or in addition, the surface of the ion producing target may include one or more knife edges.

[0257] Aspects of the invention may include a system for producing a proton beam, the system comprising an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target, and an electromagnetic chamber configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation. A radiation source, one or more optics components configured to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation to an ion-generating target, thereby producing a resulting proton beam, and at least one laser-target interaction property. A feedback signal based on at least one laser target interaction property measured by the detector and an electromagnetic radiation source, one or more optics components, and ion generation One or more processors configured to modify the proton beam by adjusting at least one of at least one of a position and an orientation of the electromagnetic radiation beam relative to the target.

[0258] Laser-target interaction properties may include proton beam properties, which may include secondary electron emission properties, such as proton beam energy and/or proton beam flux. As another example, the laser-target interaction properties may include x-ray emission properties.

[0259] The electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to provide a pulsed electromagnetic radiation beam and thereby produce a pulsed proton beam.

[0260] The interaction chamber may include a target stage for supporting the ion-producing target, and one or more processors cause relative movement between the target stage and the electromagnetic radiation beam. Can be further configured as follows.

[0261] The structure of the ion-generating target can be determined, at least in part, based on the generated feedback signal generated from the measured laser-target interaction properties.

[0262] The laser-target interaction properties may include proton energy and/or flux.

[0263] Responsive to the feedback signal, the at least one processor determines that the electromagnetic radiation source is the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam and/or the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam (eg, spot size of the electromagnetic radiation beam ) Can be caused to occur.

[0264] In response to the feedback signal, at least one processor is configured such that the one or more optics components have energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam, temporal profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam and/or spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam (eg, electromagnetic radiation Beam spot size).

[0265] The electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to modify the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam in response to the feedback signal, and/or may also be configured to generate at least a main pulse and a prepulse. The at least one processor may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to change the contrast ratio of the pre-pulse to the main pulse in response to the feedback signal.

[0266] The at least one processor may be configured to cause the motor to change relative orientation between the beam of electromagnetic radiation and the ion producing target in response to the feedback signal.

[0267] Aspects of the invention may also include a system for producing a proton beam, the system configured to provide an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target, and an electromagnetic radiation beam. A source of electromagnetic radiation, an adaptive mirror configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to an ion-producing target in the interaction chamber, thereby producing a proton beam, and a spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation and the beam of electromagnetic radiation. And at least one processor configured to control the adaptive mirror to adjust at least one of at least one of a relative position and orientation with respect to the ion producing target.

[0268] The adaptive mirror may be configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation by at least one of adjusting the focus of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, redirecting the beam of electromagnetic radiation, and scanning the beam of electromagnetic radiation. .. The adaptive mirror may also be configured to raster scan the electromagnetic radiation beam across the ion producing target. The adaptive mirror may include multiple surfaces, each of the multiple surfaces being independently controllable by digital logic circuitry. The adaptive mirror may include a laser pulse focused on the antireflection coated substrate, one or both of the laser pulse and the antireflection coated substrate being controllable by digital logic circuitry.

[0269] At least one processor includes an adaptive mirror directing a beam of electromagnetic radiation to an ion producing target in response to a feedback signal and/or the adaptive mirror directing the beam of electromagnetic radiation to a predetermined location on the surface of the ion producing target. Can be configured to cause leading to. The surface of the ion producing target may include a patterned array and/or a plurality of ion producing structures oriented substantially along a common axis. Alternatively or in addition, the surface of the ion producing target may include one or more knife edges.

[0270] Aspects of the invention may include a system for producing a proton beam, the system providing an ion production chamber configured to support an ion production target at a target location and a beam of electromagnetic radiation along a trajectory. A source of electromagnetic radiation having an energy, polarization, spatial profile and temporal profile, the electromagnetic radiation source and the electromagnetic radiation between the electromagnetic radiation source and the surface of the ion production target. One or more optics components positioned along a beam trajectory for causing a beam of electromagnetic radiation to illuminate an ion-producing target, thereby promoting the formation of proton beams with energy and flux. One or more optics components configured to co-operate with a beam of electromagnetic radiation, the flux of the proton beam and the flux of the proton beam being substantially constant while keeping the energy of the proton beam substantially constant. Control of at least one of the electromagnetic radiation source and the one or more optics components to adjust at least one of the energy of the proton beam while being kept substantially constant, whereby the electromagnetic radiation beam At least one processor configured to modify energy, polarization of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, and temporal profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation.

[0271] Further, aspects of the invention may include a system for producing a proton beam, the system comprising an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target at a target location, and a beam of electromagnetic radiation along a trajectory. An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide an electromagnetic radiation source having an energy, polarization, spatial profile and temporal profile between the electromagnetic radiation source and the surface of the electromagnetic radiation source and the ion production target. One or more optics components positioned along a trajectory of an electromagnetic radiation beam that causes the electromagnetic radiation beam to illuminate an ion-producing target, thereby promoting the formation of a proton beam having energy and flux. One or more optics components configured to cooperate with the beam of electromagnetic radiation to cause the flux of the proton beam as well as the flux of the proton beam to change the energy of the proton beam. Controlling the electromagnetic radiation source and at least one of the one or more optics components to adjust at least one of the energy of the proton beam between, thereby causing the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the polarization of the electromagnetic radiation beam, At least one processor configured to modify at least one of a spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam and a temporal profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[0272] At least one processor may be configured to modify the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by modifying the spot size of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[0273] At least one processor may be configured to modify the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by modifying the chirp of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[0274] The at least one processor may be configured to change the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by changing the timing of one or more pump sources.

[0275] The beam of electromagnetic radiation may be unpolarized.

[0276] The electron radiation source may be configured to provide a pulsed electromagnetic radiation beam and thereby generate a pulsed proton beam.

[0277] The at least one processor may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to modify the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. Also, at least one processor may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to modify the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. Also, at least one processor may be configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to alter the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and cause the one or more optics components to alter the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. Also, at least one processor may be configured to cause one or more optics components to alter the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam.

[0278] Aspects of the invention may include a system for producing a proton beam, the system comprising: an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target provided with a plurality of patterned features; An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation for illuminating the patterned features of, and the beam of electromagnetic radiation impinging upon each one of the plurality of patterned features and thereby resulting in And at least one processor configured to cause generating a proton beam obtained in.

[0279] Aspects of the invention may also include a system for producing a proton beam, the system comprising an interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target patterned with at least one knife edge, An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation for illuminating at least one knife edge of an ion producing target, and a proton that the beam of electromagnetic radiation impinges on and results in at least one knife edge. And at least one processor configured to cause generating the line.

[0280] The electromagnetic radiation source may be configured to provide a laser beam having a wavelength, and at least one of the plurality of patterned features may have a dimension that is less than the wavelength of the laser beam. Similarly, the knife edge can also have dimensions smaller than the wavelength of the laser beam. The plurality of patterned features may include protrusions that extend away from the surface of the ion producing target.

[0281] At least one processor may be configured to raster scan the ion producing target. Further, the at least one processor is configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation beam to scan the surface of the ion producing target continuously or discontinuously, for example by controlling a motor and/or an adaptive mirror. Can be done. The surface of the ion generating target can include, for example, a plurality of patterned features and/or one or more knife edges, and can include, for example, ice, silicon, carbon, plastic or steel. At least one processor causes the motor and/or the adaptive mirror to condition the electromagnetic radiation beam to sequentially or simultaneously strike an individual one of the plurality of patterned features or to strike a knife edge. Can be configured. Further, the at least one processor may be configured to produce a continuous scan of the electromagnetic radiation beam over a continuous one of the plurality of patterned features.

[0282] Embodiments of the invention can include a system for producing a proton beam, the system comprising an ion source configured to produce a pulsed ion beam comprising at least one group of ions, and at least one ion source. An electromagnet, a zone in the vicinity of the electromagnet, the zone directed through the pulsed beam, and electrically connected to the at least one electromagnet for selectively activating the at least one electromagnet At least one automated switch, an emission trigger source configured to activate the at least one automated switch, and an at least one electromagnet when the group of ions traverses the zone. And at least one processor.

[0283] The radiation trigger source may include one or more of sources of ion, x-ray, electron and laser radiation.

[0284] The electromagnet may be configured to generate an electromagnetic field, and the zone may be oriented to be in the electromagnetic field when the electromagnet is activated. The zones can have dimensions less than about 1 inch.

[0285] The ion source can include a radiation trigger source and an ion generation target, and the radiation trigger source activates an automated switch and illuminates the ion generation target to generate a pulsed ion beam. May be configured to do both.

[0286] The point in time at which the radiant trigger source activates the automated switch may be adjusted by a controlled delay line. The controlled delay line can be configured, for example, to adjust the point in time at which the radiation trigger source activates the automated switch, synchronously with the pulsed ion beam.

[0287] The automated switch may include a photoconductive semiconductor switch or a spark switch.

[0288] The at least one electromagnet may include a plurality of electromagnets in series along the trajectory of the pulsed ion beam, and the at least one automated switch may include a plurality of automated switches. Each of the activated switches is associated with a different one of the plurality of electromagnets. At least one processor may be configured to sequentially activate a plurality of automated switches as the groups of ions traverse respective electromagnets.

[0289] The first electromagnet of the one or more electromagnets in series may be configured to redirect a portion of the pulsed ion beam from an original trajectory to a redirected trajectory, and one in series Or a second electromagnet of the plurality of electromagnets for redirecting at least a portion of the redirected portion of the pulsed ion beam from the redirected trajectory into a path substantially parallel to the original trajectory. Can be configured.

[0290] Aspects of the invention may include a system for producing a proton beam, the system comprising a proton source configured to provide a proton beam having a plurality of proton energies within a proton energy spread, and a three-dimensional coordinate. Controlling the relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume in the two dimensions of the system, and maintaining a substantially fixed coordinate in the other two dimensions, the third dimension of the three-dimensional coordinate system. At least one processor configured to control the proton energy spread to adjust the depth of the treatment volume in the dimension.

[0291] At least one processor provides relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume by, for example, rotating the gantry, guiding the proton beam with an electromagnet, and/or moving the patient support platform. It can be configured to control.

[0292] The system for treating a therapeutic volume with protons may be configured to control the proton energy spread and the proton energy distribution by at least one of a magnetic analyzer, a time-of-flight control unit and an energy degrader.

[0293] This specification and claims may refer to elements in the singular, such as "processor" or "detector." It is to be understood that this notation is intended to encompass multiple such elements. That is, a particular function may be split across multiple processors located on the same board or system, or may be remotely located on another board or in another system. References to processors are to be construed as "at least one processor," which means that the recited functionality may occur across multiple processors and is still considered to be within the scope of this disclosure and the claims. It should be understood as meaning that it can be done. This also applies to the detectors and other elements described and referenced in the singular throughout the specification and claims.

[0294] Further, the above description is presented for purposes of illustration. It is not exhaustive and is not intended to be limited to the precise disclosed forms and embodiments. Modifications and adaptations will become apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of this specification and practice of the disclosed embodiments. For example, if the production of protons is described above in relation to irradiation of the ion producing target with a laser, other proton producing processes such as radio frequency coupling can be used. Further, while some of the above description relates to the use of protons in medicine as a treatment for radiation therapy, the systems and methods described herein are not limited to other uses of proton beams and other than protons. It can also be used in applications involving other ions of.

[0295] The claims are to be construed broadly based on the language utilized in the claims, and are not limited to the examples described herein, and these examples are non-exclusive. It is necessary to interpret it as a thing. Moreover, the steps of the disclosed methods can be modified in any manner, including by reordering the steps and/or inserting or deleting steps.

Claims (97)

A system for generating a proton beam,
An interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target,
An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation,
One or more optics components configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to the ion producing target, thereby producing a resulting proton beam;
A detector configured to measure at least one laser-target interaction property;
Generating a feedback signal based on the at least one laser-target interaction property measured by the detector, and the electromagnetic radiation beam to the electromagnetic radiation source, the one or more optics components and the ion producing target. At least one processor configured to alter the proton beam by adjusting at least one of at least one of the relative position and orientation of the. The system of claim 1, wherein the laser-target interaction property comprises a proton beam property. The system of claim 1, wherein the laser-target interaction property comprises a secondary electron emission property. The system of claim 1, wherein the laser-target interaction property comprises an x-ray emission property. The electromagnetic radiation source and at least one of the at least one processor are configured to provide a pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation and thereby produce a pulsed proton beam. A system for producing the described proton beam. The interaction chamber includes a target stage for supporting the ion-generating target, and the at least one processor is further configured to cause relative movement between the target stage and the electromagnetic radiation beam. The system for producing a proton beam according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured. Generate a proton beam according to claim 1, wherein the structure of the ion-generating target can be determined, at least in part, based on the generated feedback signal generated from the measured laser-target interaction properties. system. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 2, wherein the at least one laser-target interaction property comprises a proton beam energy. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one laser-target interaction property comprises a proton beam flux. The system of claim 1, wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation is configured to modify a time profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation in response to the feedback signal. The electromagnetic radiation source is configured to generate a main pulse and a prepulse, and the at least one processor determines the contrast ratio of the prepulse to the main pulse in response to the feedback signal by the electromagnetic radiation source. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to cause altering. The proton beam of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to alter the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam in response to the feedback signal. system. The proton beam of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to alter a spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam in response to the feedback signal. System to do. The at least one processor is configured to cause the one or more optics components to cause a change in spot size of the electromagnetic radiation beam in response to the feedback signal. A system that produces proton beams. The at least one processor is configured to cause a motor to change the relative orientation between the beam of electromagnetic radiation and the ion producing target in response to the feedback signal. 1. A system for generating a proton beam according to 1. A system for generating a proton beam,
An interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target,
An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation,
An adaptive mirror configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to the ion producing target in the interaction chamber, thereby producing a proton beam.
Configured to control the adaptive mirror to adjust at least one of a spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam and at least one of a relative position and orientation between the electromagnetic radiation beam and the ion producing target. And a system including at least one processor. The adaptive mirror is configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation by at least one of adjusting the focus of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, redirecting the beam of electromagnetic radiation, and scanning the beam of electromagnetic radiation. A system for producing a proton beam according to claim 16, which is: The system of claim 16, wherein the adaptive mirror is configured to raster scan the electromagnetic radiation beam across the ion producing target. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the adaptive mirror includes a plurality of surfaces, each of the plurality of surfaces independently controllable by digital logic circuitry. The adaptive mirror includes a laser pulse focused on an antireflection coated substrate, one or both of the laser pulse and the antireflection coated substrate being controllable by digital logic circuitry. A system for producing a proton beam according to claim 16. The proton beam of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the adaptive mirror to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to the ion producing target in response to a feedback signal. System to do. 17. The proton beam of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the adaptive mirror to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to a predetermined location on the surface of the ion producing target. System to generate. 23. The system for producing proton beams of claim 22, wherein the surface of the ion producing target comprises a patterned array. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the surface of the ion producing target comprises a plurality of ion producing structures oriented substantially along a common axis. 23. The proton beam producing system of claim 22, wherein the surface of the ion producing target comprises at least one knife edge. A system for generating a proton beam,
An interaction chamber configured to support the ion producing target at the target location;
An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation along a trajectory, the electromagnetic radiation beam having an energy, polarization, spatial profile and temporal profile;
One or more optics components positioned along the trajectory of the electromagnetic radiation beam between the electromagnetic radiation source and the surface of the ion production target, the electromagnetic radiation beam illuminating the ion production target. And one or more optics components configured to cooperate with the beam of electromagnetic radiation to cause promoting the formation of a proton beam having energy and flux.
At least one processor,
The flux of the proton beam while holding the energy of the proton beam substantially constant, and the energy of the proton beam while holding the flux of the proton beam substantially constant. Controlling at least one of said electromagnetic radiation source and said one or more optics components to adjust at least one of said energy radiation of said electromagnetic radiation beam, said polarization of said electromagnetic radiation beam, At least one processor configured to modify at least one of the spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation and the temporal profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the at least one processor is configured to change the spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation by changing the spot size of the beam of electromagnetic radiation. .. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the at least one processor is configured to modify the time profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation by modifying the chirp of the beam of electromagnetic radiation. 27. The proton beam of claim 26, wherein the at least one processor is configured to change the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by changing the timing of one or more pump sources. System to do. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the beam of electromagnetic radiation is unpolarized. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation is configured to provide a pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation and thereby produce a pulsed proton beam. 27. The proton beam of claim 26, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the source of electromagnetic radiation to alter the energy of the beam of electromagnetic radiation and the time profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation. A system to generate. 27. The proton beam of claim 26, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to alter the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. A system to generate. The at least one processor is configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to modify the energy of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, and the at least one processor is configured such that the one or more optics components are 27. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 26, configured to cause altering the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. 27. The at least one processor is configured to cause the one or more optics components to alter the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. A system for producing the described proton beam. A system for generating a proton beam,
An interaction chamber configured to support the ion producing target at the target location;
An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation along a trajectory, the electromagnetic radiation beam having an energy, polarization, spatial profile and temporal profile;
One or more optics components positioned along the trajectory of the electromagnetic radiation beam between the electromagnetic radiation source and a surface of the ion generation target, the electromagnetic radiation beam illuminating the ion generation target. And one or more optics components configured to cooperate with the beam of electromagnetic radiation to cause promoting the formation of a proton beam having energy and flux.
At least one processor,
To adjust at least one of the flux of the proton beam during changing the energy of the proton beam and the energy of the proton beam during changing the flux of the proton beam, Controlling at least one of the electromagnetic radiation source and the one or more optics components such that the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the polarization of the electromagnetic radiation beam, the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the At least one processor configured to modify at least one of the time profiles of the electromagnetic radiation beam. 37. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 36, wherein the at least one processor is configured to change the spatial profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation by changing the spot size of the beam of electromagnetic radiation. .. 37. The system of claim 36, wherein the at least one processor is configured to modify the time profile of the beam of electromagnetic radiation by modifying the chirp of the beam of electromagnetic radiation. 37. The proton beam of claim 36, wherein the at least one processor is configured to change the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam by changing the timing of one or more pump sources. System to do. 37. The system of claim 36, wherein the beam of electromagnetic radiation is unpolarized. 37. The system of claim 36, wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation is configured to provide a pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation and thereby produce a pulsed proton beam. 37. The proton beam of claim 36, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to modify the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the time profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. A system to generate. 37. The proton beam of claim 36, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to alter the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. A system to generate. The at least one processor is configured to cause the electromagnetic radiation source to modify the energy of the beam of electromagnetic radiation, and the at least one processor is configured such that the one or more optics components are 37. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 36, configured to cause altering the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the one or more optics components to modify the energy of the electromagnetic radiation beam and the spatial profile of the electromagnetic radiation beam. A system for producing the described proton beam. A system for generating a proton beam,
An interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target provided with a plurality of patterned features;
An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation for illuminating the plurality of patterned features,
At least one processor configured to cause the beam of electromagnetic radiation to impinge upon an individual one of the plurality of patterned features and thereby generate a resulting proton beam. .. The electromagnetic radiation source is configured to provide a laser beam having a wavelength, and at least one of the plurality of patterned features has a dimension that is less than the wavelength of the laser. 46. A system for producing a proton beam according to 46. 47. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 46, wherein the plurality of patterned features comprises protrusions extending from a surface of the ion producing target. 47. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 46, wherein the at least one processor is configured to raster scan the ion producing target. 47. The system of claim 46, wherein sequentially striking the individual one of the plurality of patterned features comprises continuously scanning the surface of the ion producing target. 47. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 46, wherein continuously striking the individual one of the plurality of patterned features comprises discontinuously scanning the surface of the ion producing target. .. 47. The system of claim 46, wherein the plurality of patterned features comprises ice. 47. The system of claim 46, wherein the plurality of patterned features comprises silicon. 47. The system of claim 46, wherein the plurality of patterned features comprises carbon. 47. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 46, wherein the plurality of patterned features comprises plastic. 47. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 46, wherein the plurality of patterned features comprises stainless steel. 47. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 46, further comprising a motor configured to cause the beam of electromagnetic radiation to sequentially impinge the individual one of the plurality of patterned features. 49. The proton beam of claim 48, wherein the at least one processor is configured to produce a continuous scan of the beam of electromagnetic radiation over a continuous one of the plurality of patterned features. System to generate. 47. The at least one processor is configured to cause an adaptive mirror to cause the beam of electromagnetic radiation to be adjusted to strike an individual one of the plurality of patterned features. A system for producing the described proton beam. 47. The at least one processor is configured to cause a plasma mirror to condition the beam of electromagnetic radiation to strike an individual one of the plurality of patterned features. A system for generating proton beams. 47. The system of claim 46, wherein the striking of the individual one of the plurality of patterned features occurs sequentially. 62. The system of claim 61, further comprising an adaptive mirror configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to strike the individual one of the plurality of patterned features. 62. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 61, further comprising a plasma mirror configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to impinge the individual one of the plurality of patterned features. 47. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 46, wherein striking the individual one of the plurality of patterned features occurs simultaneously. 65. The system of claim 64, further comprising an adaptive mirror configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to strike the individual one of the plurality of patterned features. 66. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 64, further comprising a plasma mirror configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic radiation to strike the individual one of the plurality of patterned features. A system for generating a proton beam,
An interaction chamber configured to support an ion producing target patterned with at least one knife edge;
An electromagnetic radiation source configured to provide a beam of electromagnetic radiation for illuminating the at least one knife edge of the ion producing target;
At least one processor configured to cause the beam of electromagnetic radiation to impinge on the at least one knife edge and thereby generate a resulting proton beam. 68. The proton beam of claim 67, wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation is configured to provide a laser beam having a wavelength, and the at least one knife edge has a dimension that is less than the wavelength of the laser. A system to generate. 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the target is patterned with more than one knife edge. 68. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 67, wherein the at least one processor is configured to raster scan the ion producing target. 68. The system of claim 67, wherein striking the at least one knife edge comprises continuously scanning the surface of the ion producing target. 68. The system for producing a proton beam of claim 67, wherein striking the at least one knife edge comprises discontinuously scanning the surface of the ion producing target. 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the knife edge comprises ice. 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the knife edge comprises silicon. 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the knife edge comprises carbon. 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the knife edge comprises plastic. 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the knife edge comprises stainless steel. 69. The proton beam of claim 67, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause an adaptive mirror to condition the beam of electromagnetic radiation to strike the at least one knife edge. system. A system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles,
An ion source configured to generate a pulsed ion beam including at least one group of ions;
At least one electromagnet,
A zone in the vicinity of the electromagnet, wherein the pulsed beam is directed transversely therethrough;
At least one automated switch electrically connected to the at least one electromagnet for selectively activating the at least one electromagnet;
A radiant trigger source configured to activate the at least one automated switch;
At least one processor configured to activate the at least one electromagnet as the group of ions traverses the zone. 80. The system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles according to claim 79, wherein the radiation trigger source comprises one or more of a source of ion, x-ray, electron and laser radiation. 80. The charged particle of claim 79, wherein the electromagnet is configured to generate an electromagnetic field and the zone is oriented to be within the electromagnetic field when the electromagnet is activated. System for directing the pulsed beam of. 80. The system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles according to claim 79, wherein the ion source comprises the radiation trigger source and an ion producing target. The radiation trigger source is configured to both activate the automated switch and irradiate the ion producing target, thereby producing the pulsed ion beam. Item 82. A system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles according to paragraph 82. 80. The system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles according to claim 79, further comprising a controlled delay line configured to adjust when the radiation trigger source activates the automated switch. 85. The charged particle of claim 84, wherein the controlled delay line is configured to adjust the point of time at which the radiation trigger source activates the automated switch, synchronously with the pulsed ion beam. A system for directing a pulsed beam. 80. The system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles according to claim 79, wherein the automated switch comprises a photoconductive semiconductor switch. 80. The system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles according to claim 79, wherein the automated switch comprises a spark switch. 80. The system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles of claim 79, wherein the zone has a dimension less than about 1 inch. The at least one electromagnet includes a plurality of electromagnets in series along a trajectory of the pulsed ion beam, the at least one automated switch includes a plurality of automated switches, and the plurality of automated switches includes a plurality of automated switches. 80. The system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles of claim 79, wherein each of the switches is associated with a different one of the plurality of electromagnets. 90. The pulsed charged particle of claim 89, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to sequentially activate the plurality of automated switches as the group of ions traverses respective electromagnets. A system that guides the beam. A first electromagnet in the series is configured to redirect a portion of the pulsed ion beam from an original trajectory to a redirected trajectory, and a second electromagnet in the series is configured to redirect the portion of the pulsed ion beam. 90. The apparatus of claim 89, configured to redirect at least a portion of the redirected portion of the pulsed ion beam from a traced trajectory into a path that is substantially parallel to the original trajectory. A system for directing a pulsed beam of charged particles. A system for treating a treatment volume with protons,
A proton source configured to provide a proton beam having a plurality of proton energies within a proton energy spread;
At least one processor,
Controlling relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume in two dimensions of a three-dimensional coordinate system;
Controlling the proton energy spread to adjust the depth of the treatment volume in a third dimension of the three-dimensional coordinate system while maintaining substantially fixed coordinates in the other two dimensions. And at least one processor configured to perform. 93. The system for treating a therapeutic volume with a proton according to claim 92, wherein controlling the relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume comprises rotating a gantry. 93. The system of claim 92, wherein controlling relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume comprises directing the proton beam with an electromagnet. 93. The system for treating a therapeutic volume with a proton according to claim 92, wherein controlling relative movement between the proton beam and the treatment volume comprises moving a patient support platform. 93. The system for treating a therapeutic treatment volume with protons according to claim 92, wherein controlling the energy spread and distribution occurs using at least one of a magnetic analyzer, a time of flight control unit and an energy degrader. 101. A method of operating a system according to any one of 1 to 96 above.