Applications of SU-8 in the development of a Single Ion Hit Facility

The Lund Nuclear Microprobe (LNM) has been adapted to be used as a Single Ion Hit Facility (SIHF) for proton cell irradiation experiments at low dose. In order to test the capabilities of the system, Ni dot arrays and artificial cells have been fabricated with the photopolymer SU-8 and common lithographic techniques. The primary purpose of the Ni dot arrays was to determine the targeting accuracy of the beam in vacuum and in air. Additionally, this sample was employed to evaluate the system performance during cell target irradiation experiments. The Ni dot arrays were also used for beam characterization. The artificial cells were originally fabricated to test the software for cell recognition and localization, developed and implemented at the LNM. However, this sample became very functional to make small adjustments at the irradiation chamber for cell irradiation experiments. A description of the samples, fabrication procedure and applications are presented in this paper. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved