KR102568413B1 - Ion beam treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A laser generating unit, a branching unit dividing the pulsed laser beam generated by the laser generating unit into a first laser beam and a second laser beam, and receiving the first laser beam from the branching unit to generate a first ion beam 1 target unit, a second target unit receiving the second laser beam from the branching unit and generating a second ion beam, a first path adjusting unit adjusting the path of the first ion beam and irradiating the first ion beam to the subject, and the Provided is an ion beam treatment device including a second path control unit for adjusting the path of the second ion beam and radiating the second ion beam to the subject.

Description

Ion beam treatment device {ION BEAM TREATMENT APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to an ion beam treatment device, and more particularly, to an ion beam treatment device using a laser-based proton beam.

X-ray therapy and gamma ray therapy, which account for most of the radiation therapy currently used for cancer treatment, often leave sequelae such as subsequent cancer development because they leave radiation exposure to normal tissues that occur during the treatment process. This is because the essence of X-rays or gamma rays is light rays, so when they enter the human body, a large amount is absorbed in the epidermis and the absorption decreases as they penetrate deeper. On the other hand, when particles are accelerated and injected into the human body, the particles lose energy while ionizing the particles that come into contact with the inside of the human body while moving into the human body, but the cross-sectional area ( It stops while the cross section increases, and the concentration of incident particles shows the maximum value (Bragg peak) just before the stop.

Recently, a treatment method using a proton beam is being studied as one method applied to cancer treatment in internal organs of the human body. For example, research on a treatment method for preventing metastasis of cancer cells by treating the periphery of a cancer site using a proton beam is in progress. Proton beams could have been obtained through particle accelerators at the beginning of the study. In hospitals, protons generated by installing large accelerators are controlled/treated through a gantry.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0108025 (2015.09.24) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0130264 (2014.05.27)

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide an ion beam treatment device capable of irradiating a plurality of ion beams.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an ion beam therapy device with improved treatment efficiency.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

An ion beam therapy apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention for solving the above technical problems includes a laser generating unit, and a diverging unit for separating a pulsed laser beam generated by the laser generating unit into a first laser beam and a second laser beam. , a first target part receiving the first laser beam from the branching part and generating a first ion beam, a second target part receiving the second laser beam from the branching part and generating a second ion beam, the It may include a first path adjusting unit that adjusts the path of the first ion beam and radiates it to the subject, and a second path adjusting unit that adjusts the path of the second ion beam and radiates it to the subject.

According to one embodiment, a first amplification unit for amplifying the first laser beam between the branching unit and the first target unit, and amplifying the second laser beam between the branching unit and the second target unit A second amplification unit may be further included.

According to one embodiment, the pulse of the first laser beam amplified by the first amplifying unit and the pulse of the second laser beam amplified by the second amplifying unit range one period of the pulse of the pulsed laser beam. can be shifted within.

According to one embodiment, the pulse of the first laser beam amplified by the first amplifier and the pulse of the second laser beam amplified by the second amplifier are 1/2 of the pulse of the pulsed laser beam. It can be shifted in cycles.

According to an embodiment, the first laser beam and the second laser beam may travel in opposite directions with respect to the branching portion.

According to one embodiment, the first path adjusting unit and the second path adjusting unit may rotate with the same rotation axis. Each of the first path control unit and the second path control unit may rotate about the subject.

According to an embodiment, a rotation path of the first path adjusting unit and a rotation path of the second path adjusting unit may not overlap each other.

According to one embodiment, it may further include focusing parts disposed between the first target part and the first path adjusting part or between the second target part and the second path adjusting part.

According to one embodiment, the branching portion may include a switching mirror.

According to an embodiment, a light collecting unit disposed between the first amplifying unit and the first target unit or between the second amplifying unit and the second target unit may be further included.

An ion beam therapy device according to embodiments of the present invention for solving the above technical problems includes a switching mirror receiving a pulse laser from a laser generator, and a target receiving a first laser beam and a second laser beam from the switching mirror. The target unit receives the first laser beam and the second laser beam, respectively, generates a first ion beam and a second ion beam, controls paths of the first ion beam and the second ion beam, and irradiates the first ion beam and the second ion beam to the subject. It may include a path control unit for controlling the path, and a patient support unit in which the test subject is located.

According to an embodiment, the path adjusting unit may include a first path adjusting unit providing a path along which the first ion beam travels, and a second path adjusting unit providing a path along which the second ion beam travels. .

According to an embodiment, a traveling path of the first ion beam may not overlap with a traveling path of the second ion beam.

According to one embodiment, the first path control unit and the second path control unit may face each other with the test subject as the center.

According to one embodiment, the first path adjusting unit and the second path adjusting unit may rotate about the subject.

According to one embodiment, the laser generating unit, the switching mirror and the target unit may be provided in a beam generating unit below the patient support.

The ion beam therapy apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention may generate a plurality of ion beams from a single pulse laser and simultaneously irradiate the plurality of ion beams to a subject. In addition, in the ion beam treatment apparatus, ion beams simultaneously irradiated to the subject may have different energies. Also, the ion beam treatment apparatus may irradiate a plurality of ion beams to the subject at various angles. Accordingly, the ion beam treatment apparatus can treat a plurality of targets or perform treatment under various conditions, and the treatment efficiency can be improved.

1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an ion beam therapy apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention.
2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a beam generator.
3 to 5 are schematic diagrams for explaining a beam delivery unit.
6 is a perspective view of the beam delivery unit of FIG. 5 .

In order to fully understand the configuration and effects of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and may be implemented in various forms and various changes may be made. However, it is provided to complete the disclosure of the present invention through the description of the present embodiments, and to completely inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention to which the present invention belongs. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the inventive concepts may be practiced in any suitable environment.

Terminology used herein is for describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, singular forms also include plural forms unless specifically stated otherwise in a phrase. As used herein, 'comprises' and/or 'comprising' means that a stated component, step, operation, and/or element is the presence of one or more other components, steps, operations, and/or elements. or do not rule out additions.

In this specification, when a film (or layer) is referred to as being on another film (or layer) or substrate, it may be directly formed on the other film (or layer) or substrate, or a third film ( or layer) may be interposed.

In various embodiments of this specification, terms such as first, second, and third are used to describe various regions, films (or layers), etc., but these regions and films should not be limited by these terms. do. These terms are only used to distinguish one region or film (or layer) from another region or film (or layer). Therefore, a film quality referred to as the first film quality in one embodiment may be referred to as a second film quality in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and illustrated herein also includes its complementary embodiments. Parts designated with like reference numerals throughout the specification indicate like elements.

Terms used in the embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted as meanings commonly known to those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined.

Hereinafter, an ion beam therapy device according to the concept of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an ion beam therapy apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a beam generator.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the ion beam therapy apparatus may include a beam generator 100 , a beam delivery unit 200 and a patient support unit 300 . The beam generating unit 100 may generate a plurality of ion beams IB1 and IB2 from the pulse laser PL, and the beam delivery unit 200 receives the ion beams IB1 and IB2 to form a patient support unit 300. You can investigate each target point on the image.

The beam generating unit 100 includes a laser generating unit 110, a branching unit 120, amplifying units 132 and 134, light collecting units 142 and 144, target units 152 and 154, and focusing units 162 and 164. ) may be included.

The laser generator 110 may generate a pulsed laser beam PL. The pulse laser beam PL generated from the laser generator 110 may have a period of 0.1 Hz to 1000 Hz. That is, the pulse interval of the pulsed laser beam PL may be 0.001 second to 10 seconds.

The branching unit 120 may separate the pulse laser beam PL generated by the laser generating unit 110 into a first laser beam LB1 and a second laser beam LB2. The first laser beam LB1 and the second laser beam LB2 branched from the branching portion 120 may travel in different directions. For example, the first laser beam LB1 and the second laser beam LB2 may travel in opposite directions. As shown in FIG. 2 , the branching part 120 may include a first mirror 122 and a second mirror 124 . The first mirror 122 may be a switching mirror. A portion of the pulsed laser beam PL reflected by the first mirror 122 may be the first laser beam LB1. Another part of the pulsed laser beam PL transmitted through the first mirror 122 may be the second laser beam LB2. The traveling direction of the first laser beam LB1 may be adjusted through the first mirror 122 . The traveling direction of the second laser beam LB2 may be adjusted through the second mirror 124 . In FIG. 2, it has been described that the branching unit 120 splits the pulsed laser beam PL using a switching mirror, but the present invention does not correspond to this, and the branching unit 120 branches the pulsed laser beam PL. It can include a variety of means that can be done.

The amplifiers 132 and 134 may amplify the laser beams LB1 and LB2 transmitted from the branching unit 120 . In detail, the amplifiers 132 and 134 include a first amplifier 132 provided on the path of the first laser beam LB1 and a second amplifier provided on the path of the second laser beam LB2. (134). The first and second amplifiers 132 and 134 may amplify the first laser beam LB1 and the second laser beam LB2, respectively. For example, the first and second amplifiers 132 and 134 may be chirped pulse amplification (CPA) amplifiers. Transmission of the second laser beam LB2 of the second amplifier 134 may have a time delay than transmission of the first laser beam LB1 of the first amplifier 132 . In this case, the time delay may be shorter than the pulse interval of the pulsed laser beam PL. For example, the first laser beam LB1 and the second laser beam LB2 may be oscillated with a time delay from the first amplifier 132 and the second amplifier 134 . That is, the pulse of the first laser beam LB1 amplified by the first amplification unit 132 and the pulse of the second laser beam LB2 amplified by the second amplification unit 134 are mutually exclusive within one cycle range. can be shifted. For example, the time delay may be 1/2 of the pulse interval of the pulsed laser beam PL. That is, the pulse of the first laser beam LB1 amplified by the first amplification unit 132 and the pulse of the second laser beam LB2 amplified by the second amplification unit 134 are shifted by 1/2 cycle. can

The light collecting units 142 and 144 may focus the laser beams LB1 and LB2 transmitted from the amplifying units 132 and 134 . In detail, the light concentrating parts 142 and 144 include the first light concentrating part 142 provided on the path of the first laser beam LB1 and the second light collecting part provided on the path of the second laser beam LB2. (144). The first and second light concentrators 142 and 144 may compress the first laser beam LB1 and the second laser beam LB2, respectively. For example, the first and second light concentrators 142 and 144 may include a diffraction grating, a prism, or an aspherical mirror. The first and second light concentrators 142 and 144 may change the path of the first laser beam LB1 and the path of the second laser beam LB2, respectively, as needed. In the above, it has been described that the laser beams LB1 and LB2 pass through the amplification units 132 and 134 and proceed to the light collecting units 142 and 144, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The target portions 152 and 154 may receive the laser beams LB1 and LB2 and generate ion beams IB1 and IB2. In detail, the target portions 152 and 154 receive the first target portion 152 generating the first ion beam IB1 by receiving the first laser beam LB1 and receiving the second laser beam LB2 A second target portion 154 generating the second ion beam IB2 may be included. The first target portion 152 may include a first chamber 152b and a first target material 152a within the first chamber 152b. A vacuum may be maintained inside the first chamber 152b by the first vacuum pump 152c. The first laser beam LB1 incident into the first chamber 152b may be guided to the first target material 152a. For example, a separate reflection mirror 152d may be provided in the first chamber 152b. Alternatively, unlike shown in FIG. 2 , the first light concentrating part 142 may also be provided in the first chamber 152b. The first ion beam IB1 may be generated in the first target material 152a by the first laser beam LB1 focused on one surface of the first target material 152a. The first ion beam IB1 may be a proton ion beam. The second target portion 154 may include a second chamber 154b and a second target material 154a within the second chamber 154b. A vacuum may be maintained inside the second chamber 154b by the second vacuum pump 154c. The second laser beam LB2 incident into the second chamber 154b may be guided to the second target material 154a. For example, a separate reflection mirror 154d may be provided in the second chamber 154b. Alternatively, unlike shown in FIG. 2 , the second light concentrating part 144 may also be provided in the second chamber 154b. The second ion beam IB2 may be generated in the second target material 154a by the second laser beam LB2 focused on one surface of the second target material 154a. The second ion beam IB2 may be a proton ion beam. The first target material 152a and the second target material 154a may include a photoconductive material in which electron transition occurs by the laser beams LB1 and LB2. According to one embodiment, the photoconductive material may be a semiconductor material. For example, the semiconductor material may include silicon or germanium. According to another embodiment, the photoconductive material may be a hydrocarbon. For example, the hydrocarbon may include graphene or carbon nanotube (CNT). According to another embodiment, the photoconductive material may be a polymer material. For example, the polymer material may include polyvinyl carbazole (PVK).

The focusing units 162 and 164 may focus the ion beams IB1 and IB2 generated by the target units 152 and 154 . In detail, the focusing units 162 and 164 may include a first focusing unit 162 for focusing the first ion beam IB1 and a second focusing unit 164 for focusing the second ion beam IB2. can The first focusing unit 162 and the second focusing unit 164 may include magnetic lenses. The first focusing unit 162 may select the first ion beam IB1 according to energy. The second focusing unit 164 may select the second ion beam IB2 according to energy. The first ion beam IB1 selected by the first focusing unit 162 and the second ion beam IB2 selected by the second focusing unit 164 may have different energies.

The patient support unit 300 may be disposed on the beam generating unit 100 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and unlike that shown in FIG. 1 , the patient support unit 300 may be disposed on one side of the beam generating unit 100 . Hereinafter, the patient support unit 300 will continue to be described based on being disposed on the beam generating unit 100 .

The beam transfer unit 200 may receive the ion beams IB1 and IB2 generated from the beam generator 100 and irradiate the ion beams IB1 and IB2 to target points, respectively. The beam transfer unit 200 adjusts the path of the first ion beam IB1 to irradiate the first path controller 210 and the second ion beam IB2 to irradiate the subject TP to the subject TP. ) may include a second path adjusting unit 220 that irradiates. The first path control unit 210 may extend from one side of the beam generating unit 100 onto the patient support unit 300 . The second path control unit 220 may extend from one side of the beam generator 100 onto the patient support unit 300 . The first path adjusting unit 210 and the second path adjusting unit 220 may be beam guides. The first and second path controllers 210 and 220 may provide paths along which the first ion beam IB1 and the second ion beam IB2 travel, respectively. For example, the first path control unit 210 and the second path control unit 220 respectively direct the first ion beam IB1 and the second ion beam IB2 from one side of the beam generator 100 to the patient support unit. (300).

The first path control unit 210 includes a first injection unit 212 provided on the patient support unit 300, and the second path control unit includes a second injection unit 222 provided on the patient support unit 300. can include The first injection unit 212 is connected to one end of the first path control unit 210 on the patient support unit 300, and the second injection unit 222 is connected to the second path control unit 220 on the patient support unit 300. can be connected to one end of The first and second implantation parts 212 and 222 may directly irradiate the first ion beam IB1 and the second ion beam IB2 to a target point, respectively. Paths of the first ion beam IB1 irradiated by the first implanter 212 and the second ion beam IB2 irradiated by the second implanter 222 may not overlap each other.

The beam delivery unit 200 may include a gantry. That is, the beam delivery unit 200 rotates around the patient support unit 300 and may irradiate the ion beams IB1 and IB2 to the subject TP at various angles. With reference to the drawings, the configuration of the beam delivery unit will be described in detail. 3 to 5 are schematic diagrams for explaining a beam delivery unit. 6 is a perspective view of the beam delivery unit of FIG. 5 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the first path adjusting unit 210 is disposed on one side of the beam generating unit 100, and the second path adjusting unit 220 is disposed on the other side of the beam generating unit 100. can Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4 , the first path adjusting unit 210 and the second path adjusting unit 220 may be disposed on the same side of the beam generating unit 100 . Alternatively, the first path control unit 210 and the second path control unit 220 may extend from both sides of the beam generator 100 onto the patient support unit 300 .

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first path adjusting unit 210 and the second path adjusting unit 220 may rotate. At this time, the rotational axes RA of the first path control unit 210 and the second path control unit 220 may be located on a plane parallel to the upper surface of the patient support unit 300 . The first path adjusting unit 210 and the second path adjusting unit 220 may have the same rotation axis RA, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first path adjusting unit 210 and the second path adjusting unit 220 may rotate 360 degrees about the rotation axis RA. The rotation path of the first path adjusting unit 210 and the rotation path of the second path adjusting unit 220 may not overlap each other. The first injection unit 212 of the first path control unit 210 and the second injection unit 222 of the second path control unit 220 may rotate around the patient support unit 300 . Accordingly, the first implantation unit 212 and the second implantation unit 222 may radiate the first ion beam IB1 and the second ion beam IB2 to the subject TP at various angles.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the ion beam therapy apparatus may generate a plurality of ion beams IB1 and IB2 from one pulse laser PL, and simultaneously transmit the plurality of ion beams IB1 and IB2 to a subject. can be investigated In addition, in the ion beam treatment apparatus, the ion beams IB1 and IB2 simultaneously irradiated to the subject TP may have different energies. In addition, the ion beam treatment apparatus may irradiate the plurality of ion beams IB1 and IB2 to the subject TP at various angles. Accordingly, the ion beam treatment apparatus can treat a plurality of targets or perform treatment under various conditions, and the treatment efficiency can be improved.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing its technical spirit or essential features. You will understand that there is Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting.

100: beam generator 110: laser generator
120: branching unit 132, 134: amplifying unit
142, 144: light collecting part 152, 154: target part
162, 166: focusing unit 200: beam delivery unit
210, 220: path control unit 300: patient support unit
PL: pulse laser LB1, LB2: laser beam
IB1, IB2: ion beam TP: test subject

Claims (16)

laser generating unit;
a branching unit dividing the pulsed laser beam generated by the laser generating unit into a first laser beam and a second laser beam;
a first target unit generating a first ion beam by receiving the first laser beam from the diverging unit;
a first amplifier configured to amplify the first laser beam between the branching unit and the first target unit;
a second target unit generating a second ion beam by receiving the second laser beam from the branching unit;
a second amplifier configured to amplify the second laser beam between the branching unit and the second target unit;
a first path adjusting unit configured to adjust the path of the first ion beam and irradiate the first ion beam to the subject; and
and a second path control unit configured to control a path of the second ion beam and irradiate the second ion beam to the subject.
delete According to claim 1,
The pulse of the first laser beam amplified by the first amplifying unit and the pulse of the second laser beam amplified by the second amplifying unit are ion beams shifted within one cycle range of the pulse of the pulsed laser beam. treatment device. According to claim 3,
The pulse of the first laser beam amplified by the first amplifying unit and the pulse of the second laser beam amplified by the second amplifying unit are shifted to 1/2 cycle of the pulse of the pulsed laser beam. Device. According to claim 1,
The first laser beam and the second laser beam proceed in opposite directions with respect to the branching portion. laser generating unit;
a branching unit dividing the pulsed laser beam generated by the laser generating unit into a first laser beam and a second laser beam;
a first target unit generating a first ion beam by receiving the first laser beam from the branching unit;
a second target unit generating a second ion beam by receiving the second laser beam from the branching unit;
a first path adjusting unit configured to adjust the path of the first ion beam and irradiate the first ion beam to the subject; and
A second path control unit configured to adjust the path of the second ion beam and irradiate the second ion beam to the subject;
The first path adjusting unit and the second path adjusting unit rotate with the same axis of rotation,
The ion beam therapy apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first path adjusting unit and the second path adjusting unit rotates around the subject. According to claim 6,
A rotation path of the first path adjusting unit and a rotation path of the second path adjusting unit do not overlap each other. According to claim 1,
The ion beam treatment apparatus further comprises focusing parts disposed between the first target part and the first path adjusting part or between the second target part and the second path adjusting part. According to claim 1,
The branch portion ion beam treatment device including a switching mirror. According to claim 1,
The ion beam therapy apparatus further comprises a light collecting part disposed between the branching part and the first target part or between the branching part and the second target part.

a switching mirror that receives the pulsed laser beam from the laser generating unit;
a target portion receiving the first laser beam and the second laser beam from the switching mirror, the target portion receiving the first laser beam and the second laser beam, respectively, and generating a first ion beam and a second ion beam;
a path adjuster for controlling paths of the first ion beam and the second ion beam to be irradiated to the subject; and
An ion beam treatment device comprising a patient support on which the test subject is positioned.
According to claim 11,
The pathway control unit:
a first path controller providing a path along which the first ion beam travels; and
An ion beam treatment apparatus comprising a second path controller providing a path along which the second ion beam travels. According to claim 12,
The traveling path of the first ion beam does not overlap with the traveling path of the second ion beam. According to claim 12,
The first path adjusting unit and the second path adjusting unit face each other with the subject as the center. According to claim 12,
The ion beam therapy apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first path adjusting unit and the second path adjusting unit rotate around the subject. According to claim 11,
The laser generating unit, the switching mirror, and the target unit are provided in a beam generating unit under the patient support unit.

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