Neutron source for neutron capture therapy

US10737121B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Adelphi Technology, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Melvin Arthur Piestrup · Redwood City, US
• Craig Mathew Brown · Santa Clara, US
• Allan Xi Chen · Daly City, US
• Charles Kevin Gary · Palo Alto, US
• Yao Zong Guan · San Francisco, US
• Yoshio Horii · Fukushima, JP
• Glenn Emerson Jones, Jr. · Pittsburg, US
• Yuji Kokubo · Fukushima, JP
• Naoyuki Yamada · Hitachinaka, JP
• Shotaro Komura · Fukushima, JP

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 24, 2019
• Grant date: Aug 11, 2020
• Expiry date: Oct 24, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61N2005/1095
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A neutron generator has a pre-moderator block of moderating material, an acceleration chamber, a vacuum pump evacuating the acceleration chamber to a moderately high vacuum, a plasma ion chamber opening into the acceleration chamber through an ion extraction iris, a gas source providing deuterium gas to the plasma ion chamber, a microwave energy source ionizing the gas in the plasma ion chamber, a primary and a secondary isolation well extending into the pre-moderator block, a water-cooled titanium target disk positioned at a lower extremity of the primary isolation well, the target disk biased to a substantial negative DC voltage, and electrically grounded metal cladding covering surfaces of the pre-moderator block. Ions extracted through the ion extraction iris are accelerated to bombard the titanium target producing energetic neutrons that pass through and are moderated by the pre-moderator block.