Characterization of a tungsten/gas multislit collimator for microbeam radiation therapy at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility -: art. no. 064303

Clinical microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) will require a multislit collimator with adjustable uniform slit widths to enable reliable Monte Carlo-based treatment planning. Such a collimator has been designed, fabricated of > 99% tungsten [W] by Tecomet/Viasys (Woburn, Massachusetts, USA) and installed at the 6 GeV electron-wiggler-generated hard x-ray ID17 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Its pair of 125 parallel, 8 mm deep, 0.100 mm wide radiolucent slits, 0.400 mm on center, are perfused with nitrogen gas [N-2] to dissipate heat during irradiation. Major improvements in uniformity of microbeam widths and good peak/valley dose ratios combined with a very high dose rate in targeted tissues have been achieved. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.