Patent ID: 6891177

Claim:
An ion beam scanning system having an ion source device, an ion accelerator system that can be set to an acceleration of ions required to obtain a maximum depth of penetration, and an ion beam guidance system ( 1 ) comprising an ion beam outlet window ( 2 ) for a converging centred ion beam ( 3 ), and a mechanical alignment system ( 4 ) for a target volume ( 5 ) to be scanned, wherein the scanning system ( 6 ) comprises energy absorption means ( 7 ) that are arranged in the path of the ion beam between the target volume ( 5 ) and the ion beam outlet window ( 2 ) transverse to the centre of the ion beam and comprises absorber wedges ( 13 ) that can be displaced transverse to the centre of the ion beam, a high-performance linear motor ( 8 ) for rapid driving of the absorber wedges ( 13 ) and beam-intensity-controlled depth-scanning with transverse displacement of the energy absorption means ( 7 ), so that depth-staggered scanning of volume elements ( 9 ) of a tumour tissue ( 11 ) can be carried out in rapid succession, and an ionisation chamber ( 16 ) for measuring beam intensity, which is arranged upstream of the energy absorption means ( 7 ).