Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A treatment facility comprising a shielded chamber for use in conjunction with an ion therapy beam, wherein the shielded chamber comprises:two opposed side walls;an entrance to the shielded chamber, wherein the entrance is defined between the opposed side walls at a first end of the shielded chamber;a treatment room for a patient to be exposed to the ion therapy beam, wherein the treatment room is defined between the opposed side walls at a second end of the shielded chamber;a shielding door at the entrance to the shielded chamber, wherein the shielding door comprises a layer of hydrogen-containing material; anda labyrinthine passage to enter and exit the treatment room, wherein the labyrinthine passage leads from the entrance of the shielded chamber to the treatment room and is defined by at least a first labyrinth wall and a second labyrinth wall that:(a) extend transversely inward, one from each side wall;(b) are longitudinally displaced with respect to each other along the side walls, wherein the first labyrinth wall is closer to the treatment room than the second labyrinth wall;(c) each cross a central axis that aligns with peak propagation of the ion therapy beam when a patient is being irradiated thereby in the treatment room; and(d) each comprise at least two layers of shielding, including:(i) a spallation layer for causing spallation reactions wherein incident relatively high-energy neutrons interact with atomic nuclei to generate relatively low-energy neutrons, wherein the spallation layer of the first labyrinth wall and the spallation layer of the second labyrinth wall overlap each other; and(ii) a neutron moderating and absorbing layer for moderating and absorbing the relatively low-energy neutrons generated in the spallation reactions in the spallation layer, wherein the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the first labyrinth wall and the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the second labyrinth wall overlap each other. 2. The treatment facility of claim 1, wherein the labyrinthine passage comprises a third labyrinth wall that extends transversely inward from one of the side walls sufficiently to cross the central axis. 3. The treatment facility of claim 1 further comprising a preparation or control room that is disposed adjacent to the entrance to the shielded chamber and that crosses the central axis. 4. The treatment facility of claim 3 wherein the ion therapy beam is a carbon ion beam at 400 MeV/u with a maximum value of 107 carbon ions per second, based on a ten minute average, andwherein the first and second labyrinth walls have a thickness suitable for reducing neutron radiation to less than 10 μSv/h behind the second labyrinth wall along the central axis, thereby enabling use of the preparation or control room during ion therapy of a patient in the shielded chamber. 5. The treatment facility of claim 1, wherein the spallation layer of the first labyrinth wall comprises iron of at least 0.5 meters thickness and the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the first labyrinth wall comprises concrete of at least 1.5 meters thickness. 6. The treatment facility of claim 1, wherein the entrance has a concrete ceiling and further comprises a plurality of concrete cross webs downwardly extending from the concrete ceiling within the labyrinthine passage. 7. The treatment facility of claim 1, wherein the first labyrinth wall further comprises an iron beam dump located along the central axis and having a thickness of about 0.5 meter to about 1.0 meter. 8. The treatment facility of claim 1, wherein the second labyrinth wall comprises the spallation material in an area that is not shadowed by the first labyrinth wall, as seen from the location of the patient when receiving ion therapy. 9. The treatment facility of claim 1, wherein each of the first labyrinth wall and the second labyrinth wall extend inwardly by at least half of the distance between the side walls thereby overlapping one another. 10. The treatment facility of claim 1, wherein the spallation layer of the second labyrinth wall extends inwardly from the respective side wall across the central axis. 11. The treatment facility of claim 2, wherein the third labyrinth wall:(a) is longitudinally displaced with respect to the second labyrinth wall along the side walls, wherein the second labyrinth wall is closer to the treatment room than the third labyrinth wall; and(b) comprises at least two layers of shielding, including:(i) a spallation layer for causing spallation reactions wherein incident relatively high-energy neutrons interact with atomic nuclei to generate relatively low-energy neutrons; and(ii) a neutron moderating and absorbing layer for moderating and absorbing the relatively low-energy neutrons generated in the spallation reactions in the spallation layer, wherein the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the third labyrinth wall and the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the second labyrinth wall overlap each other. 12. A treatment facility comprising a shielded chamber for use in conjunction with an ion therapy beam, wherein the shielded chamber comprises:two opposed side walls;an entrance to the shielded chamber, wherein the entrance is defined between the opposed side walls at a first end of the shielded chamber;a treatment room for a patient to be exposed to the ion therapy beam, wherein the treatment room is defined between the opposed side walls at a second end of the shielded chamber; anda labyrinthine passage to enter and exit the treatment room, wherein the labyrinthine passage leads from the entrance of the shielded chamber to the treatment room and is defined by at least a first labyrinth wall and a second labyrinth wall that:(a) extend transversely inward, one from each side wall;(b) are longitudinally displaced with respect to each other along the side walls, wherein the first labyrinth wall is closer to the treatment room than the second labyrinth wall;(c) each cross a central axis that aligns with peak propagation of the ion therapy beam when a patient is being irradiated thereby in the treatment room; and(d) each comprise at least two layers of shielding, including:(i) a spallation layer for causing spallation reactions wherein incident relatively high-energy neutrons interact with atomic nuclei to generate relatively low-energy neutrons, wherein the spallation layer of the first labyrinth wall and the spallation layer of the second labyrinth wall overlap each other; and(ii) a neutron moderating and absorbing layer for moderating and absorbing the relatively low-energy neutrons generated in the spallation reactions in the spallation layer, wherein the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the first labyrinth wall and the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the second labyrinth wall overlap each other;wherein the spallation layer of the first labyrinth wall comprises iron of at least 0.5 meters thickness and the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the first labyrinth wall comprises concrete of at least 1.5 meters thickness. 13. A treatment facility comprising a shielded chamber for use in conjunction with an ion therapy beam, wherein the shielded chamber comprises:two opposed side walls;an entrance to the shielded chamber, wherein the entrance is defined between the opposed side walls at a first end of the shielded chamber;a treatment room for a patient to be exposed to the ion therapy beam, wherein the treatment room is defined between the opposed side walls at a second end of the shielded chamber; anda labyrinthine passage to enter and exit the treatment room, wherein the labyrinthine passage leads from the entrance of the shielded chamber to the treatment room and is defined by at least a first labyrinth wall and a second labyrinth wall that:(a) extend transversely inward, one from each side wall;(b) are longitudinally displaced with respect to each other along the side walls, wherein the first labyrinth wall is closer to the treatment room than the second labyrinth wall;(c) each cross a central axis that aligns with peak propagation of the ion therapy beam when a patient is being irradiated thereby in the treatment room; and(d) each comprise at least two layers of shielding, including:(i) a spallation layer for causing spallation reactions wherein incident relatively high-energy neutrons interact with atomic nuclei to generate relatively low-energy neutrons, wherein the spallation layer of the first labyrinth wall and the spallation layer of the second labyrinth wall overlap each other; and(ii) a neutron moderating and absorbing layer for moderating and absorbing the relatively low-energy neutrons generated in the spallation reactions in the spallation layer, wherein the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the first labyrinth wall and the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the second labyrinth wall overlap each other;wherein the entrance has a concrete ceiling and further comprises a plurality of concrete cross webs downwardly extending from the concrete ceiling within the labyrinthine passage. 14. A treatment facility comprising a shielded chamber for use in conjunction with an ion therapy beam, wherein the shielded chamber comprises:two opposed side walls;an entrance to the shielded chamber, wherein the entrance is defined between the opposed side walls at a first end of the shielded chamber;a treatment room for a patient to be exposed to the ion therapy beam, wherein the treatment room is defined between the opposed side walls at a second end of the shielded chamber; anda labyrinthine passage to enter and exit the treatment room, wherein the labyrinthine passage leads from the entrance of the shielded chamber to the treatment room and is defined by at least a first labyrinth wall and a second labyrinth wall that:(a) extend transversely inward, one from each side wall;(b) are longitudinally displaced with respect to each other along the side walls, wherein the first labyrinth wall is closer to the treatment room than the second labyrinth wall;(c) each cross a central axis that aligns with peak propagation of the ion therapy beam when a patient is being irradiated thereby in the treatment room; and(d) each comprise at least two layers of shielding, including:(i) a spallation layer for causing spallation reactions wherein incident relatively high-energy neutrons interact with atomic nuclei to generate relatively low-energy neutrons, wherein the spallation layer of the first labyrinth wall and the spallation layer of the second labyrinth wall overlap each other; and(ii) a neutron moderating and absorbing layer for moderating and absorbing the relatively low-energy neutrons generated in the spallation reactions in the spallation layer, wherein the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the first labyrinth wall and the neutron moderating and absorbing layer of the second labyrinth wall overlap each other;wherein the second labyrinth wall comprises the spallation material in an area that is not shadowed by the first labyrinth wall, as seen from the location of the patient when receiving ion therapy.