Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs

Autores
Zamorano, Felipe; Pérez, Martín; Fleta, Celeste; Muñoz-Montplet, Carles; Jurado Bruggeman, Diego; Bianchini, Sebastián; Blostein, Juan Jeronimo; Lipovetzky, José; Guardiola, Consuelo
Año de publicación
2025
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Neutron contamination near medical linear accelerators (LINACs) has raised increasing concerns regarding secondary risks for patients undergoing photon-based radiotherapy (RT) at energies above 6 MV. Objective. In this work the aim was to evaluate in real-time the secondary neutron fluence to compare the neutron production between two widely used LINACs (Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy) operating at 15 MV. Thermal neutron contributions were measured in the treatment rooms using a 10 × 10 cm2 field size, flattening filter, and doses ranging from 100 to 1000 monitor units (MU) and dose rates from 100 to 600 MU min−1 . Approach. An ultra-thin (20 µm) silicon detector with 3D electrodes, paired with a (45 ± 5) µm thick 10B-enriched conversion layer was used to quantify the thermal neutron field in both LINAC treatment rooms. The thin active volume of 20 µm thick offers a high gamma rejection factor (>10−8 ), which is crucial for effectively isolating neutron signals in high-gamma RT environments. A customized readout electronics was developed for online measurements. The detector responses were compared with those obtained with PHITS Monte Carlo simulations using an extended model of the TrueBeam LINAC head operating at 15 MV. This model, which includes detailed head shielding for the first time, was validated with percentage depth dose data. Main results. The findings demonstrated the ability of the sensors to characterize the thermal neutron field, achieving a detection efficiency of (1.53 ± 0.02)% at a 660 keV energy threshold and operating without interference from the high intense photon background. The results show that the secondary neutron field produced by the Varian TrueBeam was approximately four times higher than that of the Elekta Synergy. Significance. These findings highlight significant differences in neutron contamination between LINAC models, thus with implications for patient safety and shielding design in RT facilities.
Fil: Zamorano, Felipe. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; España
Fil: Pérez, Martín. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; España
Fil: Fleta, Celeste. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; España
Fil: Muñoz-Montplet, Carles. Institut Català D´oncologia; España
Fil: Jurado Bruggeman, Diego. Institut Català D´oncologia; España
Fil: Bianchini, Sebastián. Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica. Gerencia de Area de Aplicaciones de la Tecnologia Nuclear. Instituto de Tecnologias Nucleares Para la Salud.; Argentina
Fil: Blostein, Juan Jeronimo. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina
Fil: Lipovetzky, José. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina
Fil: Guardiola, Consuelo. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; España
Materia
radiotherapy
silicon detector
neutron detection
truebeam
Elekta
Monte Carlo
Phits
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/280746
Acceder
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oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/280746
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACsZamorano, FelipePérez, MartínFleta, CelesteMuñoz-Montplet, CarlesJurado Bruggeman, DiegoBianchini, SebastiánBlostein, Juan JeronimoLipovetzky, JoséGuardiola, Consueloradiotherapysilicon detectorneutron detectiontruebeamElektaMonte CarloPhitshttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Neutron contamination near medical linear accelerators (LINACs) has raised increasing concerns regarding secondary risks for patients undergoing photon-based radiotherapy (RT) at energies above 6 MV. Objective. In this work the aim was to evaluate in real-time the secondary neutron fluence to compare the neutron production between two widely used LINACs (Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy) operating at 15 MV. Thermal neutron contributions were measured in the treatment rooms using a 10 × 10 cm2 field size, flattening filter, and doses ranging from 100 to 1000 monitor units (MU) and dose rates from 100 to 600 MU min−1 . Approach. An ultra-thin (20 µm) silicon detector with 3D electrodes, paired with a (45 ± 5) µm thick 10B-enriched conversion layer was used to quantify the thermal neutron field in both LINAC treatment rooms. The thin active volume of 20 µm thick offers a high gamma rejection factor (>10−8 ), which is crucial for effectively isolating neutron signals in high-gamma RT environments. A customized readout electronics was developed for online measurements. The detector responses were compared with those obtained with PHITS Monte Carlo simulations using an extended model of the TrueBeam LINAC head operating at 15 MV. This model, which includes detailed head shielding for the first time, was validated with percentage depth dose data. Main results. The findings demonstrated the ability of the sensors to characterize the thermal neutron field, achieving a detection efficiency of (1.53 ± 0.02)% at a 660 keV energy threshold and operating without interference from the high intense photon background. The results show that the secondary neutron field produced by the Varian TrueBeam was approximately four times higher than that of the Elekta Synergy. Significance. These findings highlight significant differences in neutron contamination between LINAC models, thus with implications for patient safety and shielding design in RT facilities.Fil: Zamorano, Felipe. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Pérez, Martín. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Fleta, Celeste. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Muñoz-Montplet, Carles. Institut Català D´oncologia; EspañaFil: Jurado Bruggeman, Diego. Institut Català D´oncologia; EspañaFil: Bianchini, Sebastián. Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica. Gerencia de Area de Aplicaciones de la Tecnologia Nuclear. Instituto de Tecnologias Nucleares Para la Salud.; ArgentinaFil: Blostein, Juan Jeronimo. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Lipovetzky, José. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Guardiola, Consuelo. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; EspañaIOP Publishing2025-08info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/280746Zamorano, Felipe; Pérez, Martín; Fleta, Celeste; Muñoz-Montplet, Carles; Jurado Bruggeman, Diego; et al.; Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs; IOP Publishing; Physics In Medicine And Biology; 70; 16; 8-2025; 1-150031-9155CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6560/adedf6info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1088/1361-6560/adedf6info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2026-02-06T12:57:51Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/280746instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982026-02-06 12:57:51.995CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs
title Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs
spellingShingle Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs
Zamorano, Felipe
radiotherapy
silicon detector
neutron detection
truebeam
Elekta
Monte Carlo
Phits
title_short Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs
title_full Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs
title_fullStr Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs
title_full_unstemmed Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs
title_sort Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Zamorano, Felipe
Pérez, Martín
Fleta, Celeste
Muñoz-Montplet, Carles
Jurado Bruggeman, Diego
Bianchini, Sebastián
Blostein, Juan Jeronimo
Lipovetzky, José
Guardiola, Consuelo
author Zamorano, Felipe
author_facet Zamorano, Felipe
Pérez, Martín
Fleta, Celeste
Muñoz-Montplet, Carles
Jurado Bruggeman, Diego
Bianchini, Sebastián
Blostein, Juan Jeronimo
Lipovetzky, José
Guardiola, Consuelo
author_role author
author2 Pérez, Martín
Fleta, Celeste
Muñoz-Montplet, Carles
Jurado Bruggeman, Diego
Bianchini, Sebastián
Blostein, Juan Jeronimo
Lipovetzky, José
Guardiola, Consuelo
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv radiotherapy
silicon detector
neutron detection
truebeam
Elekta
Monte Carlo
Phits
topic radiotherapy
silicon detector
neutron detection
truebeam
Elekta
Monte Carlo
Phits
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Neutron contamination near medical linear accelerators (LINACs) has raised increasing concerns regarding secondary risks for patients undergoing photon-based radiotherapy (RT) at energies above 6 MV. Objective. In this work the aim was to evaluate in real-time the secondary neutron fluence to compare the neutron production between two widely used LINACs (Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy) operating at 15 MV. Thermal neutron contributions were measured in the treatment rooms using a 10 × 10 cm2 field size, flattening filter, and doses ranging from 100 to 1000 monitor units (MU) and dose rates from 100 to 600 MU min−1 . Approach. An ultra-thin (20 µm) silicon detector with 3D electrodes, paired with a (45 ± 5) µm thick 10B-enriched conversion layer was used to quantify the thermal neutron field in both LINAC treatment rooms. The thin active volume of 20 µm thick offers a high gamma rejection factor (>10−8 ), which is crucial for effectively isolating neutron signals in high-gamma RT environments. A customized readout electronics was developed for online measurements. The detector responses were compared with those obtained with PHITS Monte Carlo simulations using an extended model of the TrueBeam LINAC head operating at 15 MV. This model, which includes detailed head shielding for the first time, was validated with percentage depth dose data. Main results. The findings demonstrated the ability of the sensors to characterize the thermal neutron field, achieving a detection efficiency of (1.53 ± 0.02)% at a 660 keV energy threshold and operating without interference from the high intense photon background. The results show that the secondary neutron field produced by the Varian TrueBeam was approximately four times higher than that of the Elekta Synergy. Significance. These findings highlight significant differences in neutron contamination between LINAC models, thus with implications for patient safety and shielding design in RT facilities.
Fil: Zamorano, Felipe. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; España
Fil: Pérez, Martín. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; España
Fil: Fleta, Celeste. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; España
Fil: Muñoz-Montplet, Carles. Institut Català D´oncologia; España
Fil: Jurado Bruggeman, Diego. Institut Català D´oncologia; España
Fil: Bianchini, Sebastián. Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica. Gerencia de Area de Aplicaciones de la Tecnologia Nuclear. Instituto de Tecnologias Nucleares Para la Salud.; Argentina
Fil: Blostein, Juan Jeronimo. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina
Fil: Lipovetzky, José. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina
Fil: Guardiola, Consuelo. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona; España
description Neutron contamination near medical linear accelerators (LINACs) has raised increasing concerns regarding secondary risks for patients undergoing photon-based radiotherapy (RT) at energies above 6 MV. Objective. In this work the aim was to evaluate in real-time the secondary neutron fluence to compare the neutron production between two widely used LINACs (Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy) operating at 15 MV. Thermal neutron contributions were measured in the treatment rooms using a 10 × 10 cm2 field size, flattening filter, and doses ranging from 100 to 1000 monitor units (MU) and dose rates from 100 to 600 MU min−1 . Approach. An ultra-thin (20 µm) silicon detector with 3D electrodes, paired with a (45 ± 5) µm thick 10B-enriched conversion layer was used to quantify the thermal neutron field in both LINAC treatment rooms. The thin active volume of 20 µm thick offers a high gamma rejection factor (>10−8 ), which is crucial for effectively isolating neutron signals in high-gamma RT environments. A customized readout electronics was developed for online measurements. The detector responses were compared with those obtained with PHITS Monte Carlo simulations using an extended model of the TrueBeam LINAC head operating at 15 MV. This model, which includes detailed head shielding for the first time, was validated with percentage depth dose data. Main results. The findings demonstrated the ability of the sensors to characterize the thermal neutron field, achieving a detection efficiency of (1.53 ± 0.02)% at a 660 keV energy threshold and operating without interference from the high intense photon background. The results show that the secondary neutron field produced by the Varian TrueBeam was approximately four times higher than that of the Elekta Synergy. Significance. These findings highlight significant differences in neutron contamination between LINAC models, thus with implications for patient safety and shielding design in RT facilities.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-08
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/280746
Zamorano, Felipe; Pérez, Martín; Fleta, Celeste; Muñoz-Montplet, Carles; Jurado Bruggeman, Diego; et al.; Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs; IOP Publishing; Physics In Medicine And Biology; 70; 16; 8-2025; 1-15
0031-9155
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/280746
identifier_str_mv Zamorano, Felipe; Pérez, Martín; Fleta, Celeste; Muñoz-Montplet, Carles; Jurado Bruggeman, Diego; et al.; Out-of-field thermal neutron characterization with thin 3D-silicon detectors in Varian TrueBeam and Elekta Synergy LINACs; IOP Publishing; Physics In Medicine And Biology; 70; 16; 8-2025; 1-15
0031-9155
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6560/adedf6
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1088/1361-6560/adedf6
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv IOP Publishing
publisher.none.fl_str_mv IOP Publishing
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.106097

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