Current Status of RFT-30 Cyclotron and Radioisotope Production

RFT-30 Cyclotron has been designed in which proton beam energy can be controlled from 15 to 30 MeV by adjusting the position of a carbon stripper foil, which detaches two electrons from negative hydrogen ions and therefore results in the conversion of negative hydrogen ions to protons. RFT-30 cyclotron has been regularly operated since 2013, and research on the production of radioisotopes has been performed using this cyclotron. Fluorine-18 (18F), which is the most widely-used positron emitter, has been produced regularly since 2015. In 2018, mass-production of zirconium-89 (89Zr) is successfully achieved. A generator is a device used to extract the positron-emitting daughter radioisotope from a source of the decaying parent radioisotope which has a relatively long half-life. In addition, proton beam service and RI supply have been provided to the users of various research fields including material science, medical science, and so on. In this research, various positron-emitting RIs including 18F, 89Zr, and 68Ge were successfully produced using RFT-30 cyclotron at KAERI. We are trying to optimize irradiation conditions for RI production and following processes after the irradiation. Produced RIs and proton beam itself can be used for the user service as well as for our own research purpose. In the future, research on the production of other useful RIs and the performance improvement for mass-production will be carried out.