5362 results about "Ion beam" patented technology

A pair of plasma beam sources are connected across an AC power supply to alternatively produce an ion beam for depositing material on a substrate transported past the ion beams. Each plasma beam source includes a discharge cavity having a first width and a nozzle extending outwardly therefrom to emit the ion beam. The aperture or outlet of the nozzle has a second width, which second width is less than the first width. An ionizable gas is introduced to the discharge cavity. At least one electrode connected to the AC power supply, alternatively serving as an anode or a cathode, is capable of supporting at least one magnetron discharge region within the discharge cavity when serving as a cathode electrode. A plurality of magnets generally facing one another, are disposed adjacent each discharge cavity to create a magnetic field null region within the discharge cavity.

Disclosed are an atomic layer deposition apparatus using a neutral beam and a method of depositing an atomic layer using the apparatus, capable of converting an ion beam into a neutral beam and radiating it onto a substrate to be treated. The method uses an apparatus for supplying a first reaction gas containing a material that cannot be chemisorbed onto a substrate to be treated into a reaction chamber in which the substrate is loaded, and forming a first reactant adsorption layer containing a material that cannot be chemisorbed onto the substrate; and radiating a neutral beam generated by the second reaction gas onto the substrate on which the first reactant adsorption layer is formed, and removing a material not chemisorbed onto the substrate from the first reactant adsorption layer to form a second reactant adsorption layer. It is possible to perform a process without damage due to charging with the apparatus for depositing an atomic layer using a neutral beam and the method of depositing an atomic layer using the apparatus.

A neutral beam-assisted atomic layer chemical vapor deposition (ALCVD) apparatus is provided for uniformly depositing an oxide layer filling a planarization layer or a trench to increase uniformity and density of the oxide layer using neutral beams generated by a neutral beam generator without a seam or void occurring in an atomic layer deposition (ALD) or ALD-like chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, thereby solving problems on the void or seam and low density occurring when a high-density planarization layer or a shallow trench having a width of 65 nm or less is formed, and improving a next generation oxide layer isolation process. The neutral beam-assisted ALCVD apparatus includes: an ALCVD apparatus, which deposits an oxide layer in order to form a pattern in a semiconductor substrate; and a neutral beam generator, which converts ion beams to neutral beams in order to remove a seam or void in the oxide layer deposited between the patterns, and applies the neutral beams to the oxide layer deposited to form the pattern.

A therapy system using an ion beam, which can shorten the time required for positioning a couch (patient). The therapy system using the ion beam comprises a rotating gantry provided with an ion beam delivery unit including an X-ray tube. An X-ray detecting device having a plurality of X-ray detectors can be moved in the direction of a rotation axis of the rotating gantry. A couch on which a patient is lying is moved until a tumor substantially reaches an extension of an ion beam path in the irradiating unit. The X-ray tube is positioned on the ion beam path and the X-ray detecting device is positioned on the extension of the ion beam path. With rotation of the rotating gantry, both the X-ray tube emitting an X-ray and the X-ray detecting device revolve around the patient. The X-ray is emitted to the patient and detected by the X-ray detectors after penetrating the patient. Tomographic information of the patient is formed based on signals outputted from the X-ray detectors. Information for positioning the couch is generated by using the tomographic information.

The present invention provides an increased degree of uniformity of radiation dose distribution for the interior of a diseased part. A particle beam therapy system includes a charged particle beam generation apparatus and an irradiation apparatus. An ion beam is generated by the charged particle beam generation apparatus. The irradiation apparatus exposes a diseased part to the generated ion beam. A scattering device, a range adjustment device, and a Bragg peak spreading device are installed upstream of a first scanning magnet and a second scanning magnet. The scattering device and the range adjustment device are combined together and moved along a beam axis, whereas the Bragg peak spreading device is moved independently along the beam axis. The scattering device moves to adjust the degree of ion beam scattering. The range adjustment device moves to adjust ion beam scatter changes caused by an absorber thickness adjustment. The Bragg peak spreading device moves to adjust ion beam scatter changes arising out of an SOBP device. These adjustments provide uniformity of radiation dose distribution for the diseased part.

The invention is intended to always ensure a sufficient level of patient positioning accuracy regardless of the skills of individual operators. In a patient positioning device for positioning a patient couch 59 and irradiating an ion beam toward a tumor in the body of a patient 8 from a particle beam irradiation section 4, the patient positioning device comprises an X-ray emission device 26 for emitting an X-ray along a beam line m from the particle beam irradiation section 4, an X-ray image capturing device 29 for receiving the X-ray and processing an X-ray image, a display unit 39B for displaying a current image of the tumor in accordance with a processed image signal, a display unit 39A for displaying a reference X-ray image of the tumor which is prepared in advance, and a positioning data generator 37 for executing pattern matching between a comparison area A being a part of the reference X-ray image and including an isocenter and a comparison area B or a final comparison area B in the current image, thereby producing data used for positioning of the patient couch 59 during irradiation.

A solid state nanopore device including two or more materials and a method for fabricating the same. The device includes a solid state insulating membrane having an exposed surface, a conductive material disposed on at least a portion of the exposed surface of the solid state membrane, and a nanopore penetrating an area of the conductive material and at least a portion of the solid state membrane. During fabrication a conductive material is applied on a portion of a solid state membrane surface, and a nanopore of a first diameter is formed. When the surface is exposed to an ion beam, material from the membrane and conductive material flows to reduce the diameter of the nanopore. A method for evaluating a polymer molecule using the solid state nanopore device is also described. The device is contacted with the polymer molecule and the molecule is passed through the nanopore, allowing each monomer of the polymer molecule to be monitored.

A particle therapy system, as one example of a particle beam irradiation system, comprises a charged particle beam generator and an irradiation field forming apparatus. An ion beam from the charged particle beam generator is irradiated to a diseased part in the body of a patient through the irradiation field forming apparatus. A scattering compensator and a range modulation wheel (RMW) are disposed on the upstream side in a direction of beam advance and are movable along a beam axis. The movement of the scattering compensator and the RMW adjusts a size of the ion beam entering a scatterer device, whereby a change in scattering intensity of the ion beam in the scatterer device is adjusted. As a result, a penumbra in dose distribution is reduced and a more uniform dose distribution in a direction perpendicular to the direction of beam advance is obtained in the diseased part.

A charged particle beam irradiation system comprises a high-speed steerer (beam dump device) 100 disposed in a course of a beam transport line 4 through which an ion beam is extracted from a charged-particle beam generator 1. The beam dump device 100 is provided with dose monitoring devices 105, 106 for measuring a dose of an ion beam applied to a beam dump 104 so that the intensity of the ion beam can be measured without transporting the ion beam to irradiation nozzles 15A through 15D. Thus, the system is capable of adjusting the intensity of an ion beam extracted from a synchrotron without operating each component of a beam transport line, and an irradiation nozzle.

A rotating irradiation apparatus includes a rotating gantry 3 including a front ring 19 and a rear ring 20 and is provided with a beam delivery device 11 and an irradiation device 4. The beam delivery device 11 delivers an ion beam used for particle radiotherapy. Radial support devices 61A and 61B support the front ring 19 and radial support devices 61A and 61B support the rear ring 20. Each radial support device includes a linear guide 41, an upper support structure disposed above the linear guide 41, and a lower support structure disposed below the linear guide 41. The upper support structure is movably mounted on the lower support structure and is movable in the direction of the rotational axis of the rotating gantry 3.

A particle beam irradiation system capable of ensuring a more uniform dose distribution at an irradiation object even when a certain time is required from output of a beam extraction stop signal to the time when extraction of a charged particle beam from an accelerator is actually stopped. The particle beam irradiation system comprises a synchrotron, an irradiation device including scanning magnets and outputting an ion beam extracted from the synchrotron, and a control unit. The control unit stops the output of the ion beam from the irradiation device in accordance with the beam extraction stop signal, controls the scanning magnets to change an exposure position in a state in which the output of the ion beam is stopped, and after the change of the exposure position, starts the output of the ion beam from the irradiation device again. The control unit further outputs a next beam extraction stop signal when an increment of dose integrated from the time of a preceding beam extraction stop signal as a start point reaches a setting dose stored in advance.

The present invention provides an inductively coupled, magnetically enhanced ion beam source, suitable to be used in conjunction with probe-forming optics to produce an ion beam without kinetic energy oscillations induced by the source.

The invention comprises an X-ray system that is orientated to provide X-ray images of a patient in the same orientation as viewed by a proton therapy beam, is synchronized with patient respiration, is operable on a patient positioned for proton therapy, and does not interfere with a proton beam treatment path. Preferably, the synchronized system is used in conjunction with a negative ion beam source, synchrotron, and / or targeting method apparatus to provide an X-ray timed with patient respiration and performed immediately prior to and / or concurrently with particle beam therapy irradiation to ensure targeted and controlled delivery of energy relative to a patient position resulting in efficient, precise, and / or accurate noninvasive, in-vivo treatment of a solid cancerous tumor with minimization of damage to surrounding healthy tissue in a patient using the proton beam position verification system.

A fabrication process for a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensor is disclosed. In particular, a unique method of forming a barrier layer of the TMR sensor is utilized so that the TMR sensor exhibits good magnetic and TMR properties. In one particular example, the barrier layer is formed by depositing a metallic film in an argon gas in a DC magnetron sputtering module, depositing an oxygen-doped metallic film in mixed xenon and oxygen gases in an ion-beam sputtering module, and oxidizing these films in an oxygen gas in an oxygen treatment module. This three-step barrier layer formation process minimizes oxygen penetration into ferromagnetic (FM) sense and pinned layers of the TMR sensor and optimally controls oxygen doping into the barrier layer. As a result, the FM sense and pinned layers exhibit controlled magnetic properties, the barrier layer provides a low junction resistance-area product, and the TMR sensor exhibits a high TMR coefficient.

For controlling a physical dimension of a solid state structural feature, a solid state structure is provided, having a surface and having a structural feature. The structure is exposed to a first periodic flux of ions having a first exposure duty cycle characterized by a first ion exposure duration and a first nonexposure duration for the first duty cycle, and then at a second periodic flux of ions having a second exposure duty cycle characterized by a second ion exposure duration and a second nonexposure duration that is greater than the first nonexposure duration, for the second duty cycle, to cause transport, within the structure including the structure surface, of material of the structure to the structural feature in response to the ion flux exposure to change at least one physical dimension of the feature substantially by locally adding material of the structure to the feature.