Abstract
The secondary electrons developed by interaction between primary beam and a tray mounted for blocks in Megavoltage irradiation result in excess soft radiation dose to the surface layer. To reduce this electron contamination, electron filters have been used to be attached under a tray. Various filters with Cu and Al plates in six different thickness and Cu/Al combined plates in 3 different thickness were tested to measure the reduction rate of secondary electron contamination to the surface layer. The measurement to find optimal filter was performed on 6MV linear accelerator in $10 cm{\times}10 cm$ field size and fixed 78.5cm source to measurement points distance from surface to maximum build up point in 2mm intervals. The result was analyzed as the ratio of measured doses with using filters, to standard doses of measured open beam. The result of this study was fellowing : 1. The contaminated low energy radiation were mainly produced by blocking tray. 2. The surface absorbed dose was slowly increased by increasing irradiation field size but rapidly increased at field size above $15cm{\times}15cm$. 3. Al plate upto 2.5mm thickness used as a filter was found to be inadequate due to the failure of reduction of the surface absorbed dose below doses of the under surface upto the maximal build up. Cu 0.5mm plate and Cu 0.28mm/A1 1.5mm compound plate were found to be optimal filters. 4. By using these 2 filters, the absorbed dose to the surface were effectively reduced $5.5\%$ in field size $4cm{\times}4cm,\;11.3\%$ in field size $10cm{\times}10cm,\;22.3\%$ in field size $25cm{\times}25cm$. 5. In field size $10cm{\times}10cm$, the absorbed dose to the surface of irradiation was reduced by setting TSD 20cm at least,. but effective and enough dose reduction could be achieved by setting TSD 30cm as 2 optimal filters used. 6. More surface dose absorbed at TSD less than 7.4cm with a tray and filters together indicated that soft radiation was also developed by filters. 7. The variation of PDD by the different size of irradiation field was minimal as 2 optimal filters used. There was also not different in variation of PDD according to using any of two different filters. 8. PDD was not effected either by various TSD or by using the different filter among two.