Radioactive isotope manufacturing apparatus and radioactive isotope manufacturing method

Abstract

To simultaneously manufacture a plurality of radioactive isotopes.SOLUTION: A radioactive isotope manufacturing apparatus includes a positive ion source 11 for generating positive ions, a negative ion source 12 for generating negative ions, a joint deflection magnet 13 for joining the positive ions and the negative ions from the positive ion source and the negative ion source, a linear accelerator 15 for simultaneously accelerating the positive ions and the negative ions at reverse phases, a separation deflection magnet 16 for separating the positive ion beam of the positive ions and the negative ion beam of the negative ions, a positive ion beam irradiation target part 17 which has a target 17A for a positive ion beam, and makes the positive ion beam from the separation deflection magnet collide with the target for the positive ion beam, and generates a radioactive isotope, and a negative ion beam irradiation target part 18 which has a target 18A for a negative ion beam, makes the negative ion beam from the separation deflection magnet collide with the target for the negative ion beam, and generates another radioactive isotope, and is configured to generate different radioactive isotopes in parallel with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to a radioisotope production apparatus and a radioisotope production method for producing a radioisotope by accelerating an ion beam and colliding it with a target. [Background technology]

[0002] In the treatment of malignant cancer, the practical use of therapeutic drugs using radioisotopes (RI) as radioisotopes is progressing. 211 Non-Patent Document 1 also describes that At) has recently attracted attention as an α-emitting nuclide (α-emitting radioisotope) that can be produced using an accelerator. The use of α-emitting nuclides makes it possible to impart significantly greater energy to cancer cells, and α rays have the advantage of having a range of several tens of μm within the body, causing minimal damage to normal cells. The therapeutic effect of targeted α-irradiation therapy on cancer has been proven in both animal experiments and human clinical trials, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is currently discussing the possibility of medical applications of α-emitting nuclides.

[0003] Astatine ( 211 As a method for producing At, bismuth ( 209 Bi) with about 5 to 10 MeV per nucleon 4 He 2+ On the other hand, the method of bombarding the material with ions is known. 177 Lu) is also used in radioimmunotherapy and is currently produced in nuclear reactors. 177 As a method for producing Lu using an accelerator, ytterbium ( 176 Yb) with deuterium ions (D - ) is known to collide. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-13196 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2011 / 132265 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-77836 [Patent Document 4] Special Publication No. 2016-520194 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] IAEA Alpha Emitting Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals for Therapy; Meeting Report, International Atomic Energy Agency; June 24-28, 2013; Vienna, Austria. [Non-patent document 2] Production route analysis of a therapeutic radionuclide 177Lu,AIP Advances 12, 95115 (2022). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The above-mentioned astatine ( 211 At) and lutetium ( 177 Lu) is also attracting attention as a nuclide (radioisotope) for cancer treatment. However, until now, there has been no accelerator-based production method that can simultaneously produce both nuclides, and multiple individual accelerators would be required, which is not a realistic method due to the high cost of the accelerators themselves.

[0007] The embodiments of the present invention have been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and have an object to provide a radioisotope production apparatus and a radioisotope production method that can simultaneously produce multiple radioisotopes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A radioisotope production apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a radioisotope production apparatus that produces radioisotopes by accelerating an ion beam and colliding it with a target, the radioisotope production apparatus comprising: a positive ion source that generates positive ions; a negative ion source that generates negative ions; a confluence deflection magnet that confluences the positive ions and the negative ions having the same absolute value of the mass-to-charge ratio from the positive ion source and the negative ion source; a linear accelerator that simultaneously accelerates the positive ions and the negative ions from the confluence deflection magnet in opposite phases; and a linear accelerator that separates a positive ion beam of the positive ions and a negative ion beam of the negative ions accelerated by the linear accelerator. a positive ion beam irradiation target section having a positive ion beam target, the positive ion beam from the separation deflection magnet being irradiated onto the positive ion beam target for collision with the positive ion beam target to generate the radioisotope; and a negative ion beam irradiation target section having a negative ion beam target, the negative ion beam from the separation deflection magnet being irradiated onto the negative ion beam target for collision with the negative ion beam target to generate another radioisotope, wherein different radioisotopes are generated in parallel in the positive ion beam target and the negative ion beam target.

[0009] A radioisotope production method in an embodiment of the present invention is a radioisotope production method in which an ion beam is accelerated and collided with a target to produce a radioisotope, characterized in that positive ions from a positive ion source and negative ions from a negative ion source are merged by a merger / deflection magnet and then accelerated simultaneously by a linear accelerator, and a positive ion beam of the positive ions and a negative ion beam of the negative ions accelerated by the linear accelerator are separated by a separation / deflection magnet, and of the separated positive ion beam and negative ion beam, the positive ion beam is irradiated onto a positive ion beam target in a positive ion beam irradiation target section to cause it to collide with the positive ion beam, thereby producing the radioisotope, and the negative ion beam is irradiated onto a negative ion beam target in a negative ion beam irradiation target section to cause it to collide with the negative ion beam, thereby producing another radioisotope, and these different radioisotopes are produced in parallel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to embodiments of the present invention, multiple radioisotopes can be produced simultaneously. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] Graphs showing the time structure of positive ions and negative ions. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between irradiated ions, ion beam targets, radioisotopes produced, and ion beam energy. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to a modified embodiment of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing a radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to a modified example of the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [A] First embodiment (Figs. 1 to 4) Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a radioisotope production apparatus according to the first embodiment. The radioisotope production apparatus 10 shown in Fig. 1 produces radioisotopes by accelerating an ion beam and colliding it with a target, and is configured to include a positive ion source 11, a negative ion source 12, a converging bending magnet 13, a focusing magnet 14, a linear accelerator 15, a separating bending magnet 16, a positive ion beam irradiation target section 17, and a negative ion beam irradiation target section 18.

[0013] The positive ion source 11 generates positive ions, and may be a multi-pole magnetic field type ion source or an ECR (electron cyclotron resonance) ion source using microwaves. 4 He 2+ ions, H+ Ion, D + ions (positive deuterium ions), but the positive ion source 11 of the first embodiment is 4 He 2+ It generates ions.

[0014] The negative ion source 12 generates negative ions, and may be an ion source that converts positive ions into negative ions by a double charge exchange reaction on a cathode surface to which an alkali metal is attached or in a converter, or an ion source that generates negative ions by volume using a dissociative attachment reaction between excited hydrogen molecules and electrons. - Ion, D - ions (negative deuterium ions), but the negative ion source 12 of the first embodiment is D - It generates ions.

[0015] 2, the positive ions from the positive ion source 11 and the negative ions from the negative ion source 12 may have the same or different absolute current values, and the time structure (i.e., the time length and time interval along the time axis) can be individually changed depending on the ion generation timing of the positive ion source 11 and the negative ion source 12. By changing the time structure of the positive ions and negative ions, for example by widening the time interval, it is possible to reduce the heat load on the positive ion beam target 17A of the positive ion beam irradiation target unit 17 and the negative ion beam target 18A of the negative ion beam irradiation target unit 18 (both of which will be described later).

[0016] The confluence deflection magnet 13 confluences positive ions and negative ions having the same absolute value of the mass-to-charge ratio from the positive ion source 11 and the negative ion source 12. By confluence of the positive ions and negative ions by the confluence deflection magnet 13, it becomes possible to suppress ion beam divergence due to the space charge effect in the linear accelerator 15. In addition, the absolute value of the mass-to-charge ratio of the ions is, for example, 4 He 2+ In the case of ions, the ratio is 4:2=2:1, and D - In ions it is 2:1.

[0017] The focusing magnets 14 are installed between the positive ion source 11, the negative ion source 12 and the converging deflection magnet 13, between the converging deflection magnet 13 and the linear accelerator 15, between the linear accelerator 15 and the separating deflection magnet 16, between the separating deflection magnet 16 and the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17, and between the negative ion beam irradiation target section 18, etc., to focus the ions or ion beams.

[0018] The linear accelerator 15 simultaneously accelerates the positive ions and negative ions, which have the same absolute value of the mass-to-charge ratio and are merged by the merger bending magnet 13, in opposite phases of radio frequency. This linear accelerator 15 is provided with one or more radio frequency quadrupole linear accelerators (RFQ accelerators 15A) and one or more drift tube linear accelerators (DTL accelerators 15B). A pulse accelerator may be adopted as this linear accelerator 15. In this first embodiment, 4 He 2+ Ion and D - The ions are accelerated by a linear accelerator 15 into an ion beam with an energy of 7.5 MeV per nucleon, where nucleons refer to protons and neutrons.

[0019] The separating and bending magnet 16 separates the positive ions (e.g. 4 He 2+ ions) and negative ions (e.g., D - The negative ion beam is separated from the negative ion beam.

[0020] The positive ion beam irradiation target section 17 includes a target 17A for a positive ion beam, and a positive ion beam (for example, 4 He 2+ In the first embodiment, the positive ion beam target 17A is irradiated with bismuth ( 209 Bi) target, 4 He 2+ The ion beam collides with the positive ion beam target 17A, producing astatine ( 211 At) is generated.

[0021] The negative ion beam irradiation target section 18 includes a negative ion beam target 18A, and a negative ion beam (e.g., D - In the first embodiment, the negative ion beam target 18A is irradiated with ytterbium ( 176 Yb) target, D - When the ion beam collides with the negative ion beam target 18A, the radioactive isotope lutetium ( 177 Lu) is generated.

[0022] As described above, different radioactive isotopes ( 211 At, 177 Parallel production of 1000 uranium (Lu) allows multiple radioisotopes to be produced simultaneously.

[0023] In the production of radioisotopes, the combination of positive and negative ions is 4 He 2+ Ion and D - In addition to the ionic combinations, H + Ions and H - Ion combination, D + Ion and D - There are also radioactive isotopes that are produced at the same time, such as: 67 Cu, 62 Zn, 68 Ge, 227 Th, 99 Mo, 64 Cu, 211 At, 177 Lu, 225 It is plural of Ac.

[0024] That is, as shown in FIG. 3, positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are H + ions, and the positive ion beam target 17A is zinc ( 67 Zn) target, and a positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 20 to 100 MeV by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce copper ( 67Cu) is generated. The negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are H - ions, and the negative ion beam target 18A is zinc ( 67 Zn) target, and a negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 20 to 100 MeV by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A to produce copper ( 67 Cu) is formed. Here, the zinc ( 67 Zn) target is natural or concentrated zinc 68 It is a metal or compound containing Zn.

[0025] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are H + ions, and the target 17A for the positive ion beam is copper ( 63 Cu) target, and a positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 14 to 40 MeV by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce zinc ( 62 Zn) is generated. The negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are H - ions, and the target for the negative ion beam is copper ( 63 Cu) target, and a negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 14 to 40 MeV by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A to produce zinc ( 62 Zn) is produced. 63 Cu) target is either native copper or enriched 63 It is a metal or compound containing Cu.

[0026] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are H + ions, and the target 17A for the positive ion beam is gallium ( 69 The positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 10 to 35 MeV by the linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce germanium ( 68 The negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are H - ions, and the target for the negative ion beam is gallium ( 69The negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 10 to 35 MeV by the linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A, and germanium ( 68 Ge) is produced. 69 Ga) targets can be natural or enriched gallium. 69 It is a metal or compound containing Ga.

[0027] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are H + ions, and the target 17A for the positive ion beam is thorium ( 232 The positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 50 to 300 MeV by the linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A, and produces thorium ( 227 Th) or actinium ( 225 Ac) is generated. The negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are H - ions, and the negative ion beam target 18A is thorium ( 232 The negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 50 to 300 MeV by the linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A, and produces thorium ( 227 Th) or actinium ( 225 Ac) is produced.

[0028] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are H + ions, and the target 17A for the positive ion beam is molybdenum ( 100 Mo) target, and a positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 10 to 50 MeV by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce molybdenum ( 99 Mo) is generated. - ions, and the target 18A for the negative ion beam is molybdenum ( 100 Mo) target, and a negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 10 to 50 MeV by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A to produce molybdenum ( 99 Mo) is produced.

[0029] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are + ions, and the target 17A for the positive ion beam is molybdenum ( 100 Mo) target, and a positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 5 to 25 MeV per nucleon by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce molybdenum ( 99 Mo) is generated. Negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are D - ions, and the target 18A for the negative ion beam is molybdenum ( 100 Mo) target, and a negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 5 to 25 MeV per nucleon by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A, producing molybdenum ( 99 Mo) is produced. 100 Mo) target is natural molybdenum or enriched 100 It is a metal or compound containing Mo.

[0030] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are H + ions, and the target 17A for the positive ion beam is nickel ( 64 Ni) target, and a positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 3 to 25 MeV by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce copper ( 64 Cu) is generated. The negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are H - ions, and the negative ion beam target 18A is nickel ( 64 Ni) target, and a negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 3 to 25 MeV by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A to produce copper ( 64 Cu) is produced.

[0031] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are + ions, and the target 17A for the positive ion beam is nickel ( 64 Ni) target, and a positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 2.5 to 15 MeV per nucleon by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce copper (64 Cu) is generated. The negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are D - ions, and the negative ion beam target 18A is nickel ( 64 Ni) target, and a negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 2.5 to 15 MeV per nucleon by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A to produce copper ( 64 Cu) is produced. 64 Ni) target is either natural or enriched nickel 64 It is a metal or compound containing Ni.

[0032] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are + ions, and the target 17A for the positive ion beam is ytterbium ( 176 Yb) target, and a positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 2.5 to 15 MeV per nucleon in a linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce radioactive isotopes of lutetium ( 177 Lu) is generated. Negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are D - ions, and the negative ion beam target 18A is ytterbium ( 176 Yb) target, and a negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 2.5 to 15 MeV per nucleon by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A to produce radioactive isotopes of lutetium ( 177 Lu) is produced. 176 Yb) The target is either natural ytterbium or enriched ytterbium. 176 It is a metal or compound containing Yb.

[0033] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are H + ions, and the target 17A for the positive ion beam is radium ( 226 The positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 5 to 35 MeV per nucleon by the linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A, and actinium ( 225 Ac) is generated. The negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are H - ions, and the negative ion beam target 18A is radium (226 The negative ion beam accelerated to an energy of 5 to 35 MeV per nucleon by the linear accelerator 15 collides with the negative ion beam target 18A, and actinium ( 225 Ac) is produced. Here, the above radium ( 226 Ra) The target is 226 It is a metal or compound containing Ra.

[0034] Positive ions from the positive ion source 11 4 He 2+ ions, and the positive ion beam target 17A is zirconium ( 96 Zr) target, and a positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 2.5 to 12.5 MeV per nucleon by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce molybdenum ( 99 Mo) is produced. Here, the zirconium ( 96 Zr) targets are either natural zirconium or enriched 96 The positive ions from the positive ion source 11 are a metal or a compound containing Zr. 4 He 2+ The target 17A for the positive ion beam is bismuth ( 209 Bi) target, and a positive ion beam accelerated to an energy of 5 to 25 MeV per nucleon by a linear accelerator 15 collides with the positive ion beam target 17A, producing astatine ( 211 At) is produced. Here, the above bismuth ( 209 Bi) target is natural bismuth or enriched 209 It is a metal or compound containing Bi.

[0035] 1, the radioisotope production apparatus 10 of the first embodiment is provided with ammeters 19 and 20 and a calculation unit 21. The ammeter 19 measures a current value based on the flow of positive ions generated in the positive ion source 11, and the ammeter 20 measures a current value based on the flow of negative ions generated in the negative ion source 12. The calculation unit 21 calculates the amount of radioisotope generated in each of the positive ion beam irradiation target 17 and the negative ion beam irradiation target 18 based on the current values ​​measured by the ammeters 19 and 20 during or after the generation of the radioisotopes.

[0036] At least one of the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam target 18A, for example both, is placed in a gas. By changing the placement positions of the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam target 18A in the gas, the beam energy loss due to the gas of the positive ion beam colliding with the positive ion beam target 17A and the beam energy loss due to the gas of the negative ion beam colliding with the negative ion beam target 18A can be adjusted. This makes it possible to collide the positive ion beam with the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam with the negative ion beam target 18A with optimal energy.

[0037] A degrader 22 as an energy absorber for reducing the energy of ions or ion beams is inserted and removed between the linear accelerator 15 and at least one of the positive ion source 11 and the negative ion source 12, which are located in the upstream of the linear accelerator 15, or between the linear accelerator 15 and at least one of the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17 and the negative ion beam irradiation target section 18, which are located in the downstream of the linear accelerator 15. Fig. 1 shows an example in which the degrader 22 is inserted and removed between the linear accelerator 15 and at least one of the positive ion source 11 and the negative ion source 12.

[0038] The beam energies of the positive ion beam colliding with the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam colliding with the negative ion beam target 18A are adjusted by inserting and removing the degrader 22. This also makes it possible to collide the positive ion beam with the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam with the negative ion beam target 18A with optimal energies.

[0039] Furthermore, the radioisotope production apparatus 10 is configured so that a beam stopper 23 for blocking the ion beam can be installed upstream of the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17 or the negative ion beam irradiation target section 18. By installing this beam stopper 23, the positive ion beam target 17A or the negative ion beam target 18A that is not upstream of the beam stopper 23 can be replaced without blocking the ion beam irradiation to the positive ion beam target 17A or the negative ion beam target 18A that is not upstream of the beam stopper 23. This replacement is performed using a remote-controlled robot arm or the like, further reducing exposure of workers to radiation.

[0040] In a radioisotope manufacturing apparatus 10A, which is a modified version of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, detectors 24 and 25 for determining the amount of radioisotope and a computing unit 26 are installed instead of the ammeters 19 and 20 and computing unit 21 described above, and an ion stopper 27 for replacing the positive ion beam target 17A or the negative ion beam target 18A is installed instead of the beam stopper 23 described above.

[0041] That is, detector 24 detects the amount of radiation generated by the radioisotope generated in the positive ion beam target 17A of the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17. Detector 25 detects the amount of radiation generated from the radioisotope generated in the negative ion beam target 18A of the negative ion beam irradiation target section 18. These detectors 24 and 25 are preferably collimators that selectively pass radiation from the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam target 18A. Calculation unit 26 calculates the amount of radioisotope generated in the positive ion beam target 17A or the negative ion beam target 18A based on the radiation amounts detected by detectors 24 and 25.

[0042] The ion stopper 27 blocks the flow of ions and is configured to be installable downstream of the positive ion source 11 or the negative ion source 12. By installing the ion stopper 27, the positive ion beam target 17A or the negative ion beam target 18A that is not irradiated with the ion beam can be replaced while ensuring that the ion beam from the positive ion source 11 or the negative ion source 12 that is not installed downstream of the ion stopper 27 is irradiated onto the positive ion beam target 17A or the negative ion beam target 18A. This replacement is performed using a remote-controlled robot arm or the like, which further reduces exposure of workers to radiation.

[0043] In addition, in the radioisotope production device 10A, the combination of positive ions and negative ions is + Ions and H - Ion combination, or D + Ion and D - As a combination of ions, neutrons may be generated in at least one of the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam target 18A, for example, the negative ion beam target 18A, and one or more types of radioactive isotopes may be generated by irradiation of these neutrons.

[0044] That is, in the positive ion source 11, D + Ions are generated by the negative ion source 12 as D -The positive ion beam target 17A is a beryllium (Be) target, and D + Neutrons are generated by the collision of ions, and the negative ion beam target 18A is converted to ytterbium ( 176 Yb) target, and this negative ion beam target 18A is D - Ion collisions produce radioactive isotopes 177 Lu is produced, and the molybdenum ( 99 Other radioisotopes, such as Mo, may also be produced.

[0045] As configured as above, the first embodiment provides the following advantages (1) to (3). 1 and 2, of the positive ion beam and negative ion beam simultaneously accelerated by the linear accelerator 15, the positive ion beam collides with the positive ion beam target 17A of the positive ion beam irradiation target unit 17 to generate a radioisotope, and the negative ion beam collides with the negative ion beam target 18A of the negative ion beam irradiation target unit 18 to generate another radioisotope. By generating these different radioisotopes in parallel, multiple radioisotopes can be simultaneously produced.

[0046] (2) The positive ions from the positive ion source 11 and the negative ions from the negative ion source 12 are configured so that their time structures can be changed individually, as shown in Fig. 2, depending on the ion generation timing of the positive ion source 11 and the negative ion source 12. This allows the thermal load on the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam target 18A to be reduced, for example, by widening the time interval of the time structure.

[0047] 1 and 4, the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam target 18A are placed in a gas, and by changing the installation positions of the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam target 18A in the gas, it is possible to adjust the beam energy of the ion beams colliding with the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam target 18A, which are lost through the gas. Furthermore, the beam energy of the ion beams colliding with the positive ion beam target 17A and the negative ion beam target 18A can also be adjusted by inserting or removing a degrader 22 as an energy absorber before or after the linear accelerator 15. These factors make it possible to collide the positive ion beam target 17A with the positive ion beam and the negative ion beam with the negative ion beam at optimal beam energies.

[0048] [B] Second embodiment (Fig. 5) 5 is a configuration diagram showing a radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment. In this second embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0049] The radioisotope production apparatus 30 of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the combination of positive ions and negative ions is H + Ions and H - Ion combination, or D + Ion and D - Furthermore, a dual ion beam irradiation target section 31 equipped with targets 31A for both ion beams is provided downstream of the separation deflection magnet 16, and the positive ion beam and the negative ion beam from the separation deflection magnet 16 are irradiated onto the targets 31A for both ion beams and collide with each other to generate neutrons, and one or more types of radioisotopes are generated by irradiation of the generated neutrons.

[0050] Specifically, the positive ion source 11 is D + The negative ion source 12 generates ions. - The positive ion beam target 17A of the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17 is made of nickel (64 Ni) target, and the negative ion beam target 18A of the negative ion beam irradiation target section 18 is an ytterbium ( 176 The targets 31A for both ion beams in the ion beam irradiation target sections 31 are beryllium (Be) targets.

[0051] When the separation deflection magnet 16 is excited (ON), D + The ion beam collides with the positive ion beam target 17A to produce copper ( 64 Cu) and D - The ion beam collides with the negative ion beam target 18A to produce radioactive isotopes of lutetium ( 177 When the separation bending magnet 16 is demagnetized (OFF), D + Ion beam, D - One or both of the ion beams collide with the two ion beam targets 31A of the two ion beam irradiation target sections 31 to generate neutrons, and the irradiation of these neutrons converts radioactive isotopes, such as molybdenum ( 99 Mo) is produced.

[0052] The separation deflection magnet 16 is pulse-controlled to switch between excitation and demagnetization in a short time (for example, 0.5 seconds), thereby reducing the thermal load caused by the production of radioisotopes in the positive ion beam target 17A, the negative ion beam target 18A, and the both ion beam targets 31A, and making it possible to produce up to three types of radioisotopes approximately simultaneously.

[0053] It should be noted that the ion beam targets 31A of the ion beam irradiation target sections 31 are not Be targets that generate neutrons, but are, for example, 100 By using a Mo target or a Yb target, the targets 31A for both ion beams can be + Ion beam, D - By impact of one or both of the ion beams 99 Mo, 177 Radioisotopes such as Lu may also be produced directly without neutrons.

[0054] As configured as above, the second embodiment also achieves the same effects as the effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment, and also achieves the following effect (4).

[0055] (4) In addition to the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17 and the negative ion beam irradiation target section 18, both ion beam irradiation target sections 31 are provided downstream of the separation bending magnet 16, and both ion beam targets 31A of these both ion beam irradiation target sections 31 produce radioisotopes via neutrons or directly through collisions with positive ion beams and negative ion beams. As a result, three or more types of radioisotopes can be produced while reducing the heat load on the positive ion beam target 17A, negative ion beam target 18A, and both ion beam targets 31A.

[0056] [C] Third embodiment (Figs. 6 and 7) 6 is a configuration diagram showing a radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to the third embodiment. In this third embodiment, the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first and second embodiments, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0057] The radioisotope production apparatus 40 of the third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in that it has an additional linear accelerator 41 downstream of the separation bending magnet 16, and downstream of this linear accelerator 41, via another separation bending magnet 42, there are another positive ion beam irradiation target section 43 having another positive ion beam target 43A, another negative ion beam irradiation target section 44 having another negative ion beam target 44A, and a both ion beam irradiation target section 31 having a target for both ion beams 31A. The linear accelerator 41 is preferably a drift tube linear accelerator (DTL accelerator).

[0058] Specifically, the positive ion source 11 includes: 4 He 2+ Ion and D + The negative ion source 12 generates ions. - ions and H - The positive ion beam target 17A of the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17 is made of bismuth (209 Bi) target, and the negative ion beam target 18A of the negative ion beam irradiation target section 18 is an ytterbium ( 176 The positive ion beam target 43A of the positive ion beam irradiation target section 43 is a molybdenum ( 100 The negative ion beam target 44A of the negative ion beam irradiation target section 44 is a radium ( 226 Both ion beam targets 31A of both ion beam irradiation target sections 31 are beryllium (Be) targets.

[0059] When the separation and bending magnet 16 is excited (ON), the beam accelerated by the linear accelerator 15 4 He 2+ The ion beam hits the positive ion beam target 17A and produces astatine ( 211 At) and D - The ion beam collides with the negative ion beam target 18A to produce radioactive isotopes of lutetium ( 177 Lu).

[0060] When the separation deflection magnet 16 is demagnetized (OFF) and the separation deflection magnet 42 is excited (ON), D + ion beam, 4 He 2+ Ion beam, D - Ion beam and H - The ion beam is further accelerated in the linear accelerator 15, 41 to an energy of, for example, 25 MeV per nucleon. By the above-mentioned excitation (ON) of the separation bending magnet 42, the accelerated D + The ion beam strikes the positive ion beam target 43A and produces radioactive molybdenum ( 99 Mo) and accelerated H - The ion beam collides with the negative ion beam target 44A to produce actinium ( 225 Ac).

[0061] When the separation bending magnet 16 is demagnetized (OFF) and when the separation bending magnet 42 is demagnetized (OFF), the D accelerated by the linear accelerators 15 and 41 + ion beam,4 He 2+ Ion beam, D - Ion beam, H - Either or both of the ion beams collide with the ion beam targets 31A to generate neutrons, and other radioisotopes are generated by irradiation of these neutrons. Here, the ion beam targets 31A may be changed to targets that directly generate radioisotopes instead of generating neutrons.

[0062] The separation bending magnets 16 and 42 are pulse-controlled, and excitation and demagnetization are switched in a short time (for example, 0.5 seconds), thereby reducing the thermal load caused by the production of radioisotopes, etc. in the positive ion beam target 17A, the negative ion beam target 18A, the positive ion beam target 43A, the negative ion beam target 44A, and the both ion beam targets 31A, and making it possible to produce up to five types of radioisotopes approximately simultaneously.

[0063] In a radioisotope production apparatus 40A of a modified form of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7, an additional linear accelerator 41 is installed downstream of the separating / bending magnet 16, between the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17 and at least one of the positive ion beam irradiation target section 18, for example, between the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17 and the negative ion beam irradiation target section 18. In this radioisotope production apparatus 40A, the positive ion beam target 17A of the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17 is made of molybdenum ( 100 Mo) target. Therefore, the D separated by the separation bending magnet 16 + The ion beam is further accelerated by the linear accelerator 41 and collides with the positive ion beam target 17A of the positive ion beam irradiation target section 17, and this positive ion beam target 17A converts molybdenum ( 99 Mo).

[0064] As configured as above, the third embodiment provides the following effect (5) in addition to the effects (1) to (4) of the first and second embodiments.

[0065] (5) An additional linear accelerator 41 is provided downstream of the separation bending magnet 16, and the additional linear accelerator 41 can increase the beam energy of the ion beam so that the energy becomes the energy required to produce radioisotopes in the positive ion beam target 43A, the negative ion beam target 44A, the both ion beam target 31A, the positive ion beam target 17A, and the negative ion beam target 18A downstream of this linear accelerator 41. In this way, the energy of the ion beam to the ion beam targets can be individually changed by adding the linear accelerator 41.

[0066] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, such substitutions, changes, and combinations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 10, 10A...radioisotope production device, 11...positive ion source, 12...negative ion source, 13...merging deflection magnet, 15...linear accelerator, 16...separating deflection magnet, 17...positive ion beam irradiation target section, 17A...target for positive ion beam, 18...negative ion beam irradiation target section, 18A...target for negative ion beam, 19, 20...current meter, 21...calculating section, 22...degrader (energy absorber) 23...beam stopper , 24, 25...detector, 26...calculation unit, 27...ion stopper, 30...radioisotope production device, 31...two ion beam irradiation target unit, 31A...target for both ion beams, 40, 40A...radioisotope production device, 41...linear accelerator, 42...separation deflection magnet, 43...positive ion beam irradiation target unit, 43A...target for positive ion beam, 44...negative ion beam irradiation target unit, 44A...target for negative ion beam.

Claims

1. In a radioisotope production device that accelerates an ion beam and collides it with a target to produce a radioisotope, a positive ion source that generates positive ions; a negative ion source that generates negative ions; a confluence deflection magnet for confluence of the positive ions and the negative ions having the same absolute value of the mass-to-charge ratio from the positive ion source and the negative ion source; a linear accelerator that simultaneously accelerates the positive ions and the negative ions from the confluence bending magnet in opposite phases; a separation / bending magnet for separating the positive ion beam and the negative ion beam accelerated by the linear accelerator; a positive ion beam irradiation target unit including a positive ion beam target, the positive ion beam from the separation deflection magnet being irradiated onto the positive ion beam target to cause collision, thereby generating the radioactive isotope; a negative ion beam irradiation target unit that includes a negative ion beam target and irradiates and collides the negative ion beam from the separation deflection magnet onto the negative ion beam target to generate another radioisotope, A radioisotope production apparatus configured so that different radioisotopes are produced in parallel in the positive ion beam target and the negative ion beam target.

2. The combination of the positive ions and the negative ions is H ＋ Ions and H － ion, He ２＋ Ion and D － ion, or D ＋ Ion and D － ions, The radioisotope is ６７ Cu, ６２ Zn, ６８ Ge, ２２７ Th, ９９ Mo, ６４ Cu, ２１１ At, １７７ Lu, ２２５ 2. The radioisotope production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of the radioisotopes is a plurality of the groups selected from the group consisting of Ac,

3. The combination of the positive ions and the negative ions is H ＋ Ions and H － ion, or D ＋ Ion and D － ions, 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the positive ion beam target and the negative ion beam target generates neutrons, and a radioisotope is generated by irradiation of the generated neutrons.

4. a dual ion beam irradiation target unit provided with targets for both ion beams at a stage subsequent to the separation deflection magnet; 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the positive ion beam and the negative ion beam from the separation bending magnet are irradiated onto and collide with the targets for the two ion beams to generate radioisotopes.

5. The combination of the positive ions and the negative ions is H ＋ Ions and H － ion, or D ＋ Ion and D － ions, a dual ion beam irradiation target unit provided with targets for both ion beams at a stage subsequent to the separation deflection magnet; 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the positive ion beam and the negative ion beam from the separation bending magnet are irradiated onto and collide with the targets for the two ion beams to generate neutrons, and radioisotopes are generated by irradiation of the generated neutrons.

6. an additional linear accelerator downstream of the separation bending magnet; 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein another positive ion beam irradiation target section having another target for a positive ion beam and another negative ion beam irradiation target section having another target for a negative ion beam are provided downstream of the additional linear accelerator via another separation bending magnet.

7. 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an additional linear accelerator is provided downstream of the separation deflection magnet, at least one between the separation deflection magnet and the positive ion beam irradiation target section and between the separation deflection magnet and the negative ion beam irradiation target section.

8. 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time structures of the positive ions from the positive ion source and the negative ions from the negative ion source are configured so as to be individually changeable.

9. 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an ammeter for measuring a current value based on the flow of ions generated in the positive ion source or the negative ion source; and a calculation unit for calculating the amount of radioisotope generated in the positive ion beam irradiation target unit or the negative ion beam irradiation target unit based on the current value measured by the ammeter.

10. 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a detector that detects the amount of radiation generated from the radioisotope produced in the positive ion beam target or the negative ion beam target; and a calculation unit that calculates the amount of the radioisotope produced in the positive ion beam target or the negative ion beam target based on the amount of radiation detected by the detector.

11. 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the positive ion beam target and the negative ion beam target is installed in a gas, and the installation position thereof is changed so that the beam energy lost by the gas of the colliding positive ion beam and negative ion beam can be adjusted.

12. 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an energy absorber for reducing the energy of ions or ion beams is inserted or removed in a stage preceding or following the linear accelerator, and the insertion or removal of this energy absorber makes it possible to adjust the beam energies of the positive ion beam colliding with the target for a positive ion beam and the negative ion beam colliding with the target for a negative ion beam.

13. a beam stopper for blocking the ion beam can be installed in front of the positive ion beam target or the negative ion beam target; 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positive ion beam target or the negative ion beam target having the ion beam stopper installed in the upstream stage is replaced without blocking the ion beam irradiation to the positive ion beam target or the negative ion beam target not having the beam stopper installed in the upstream stage.

14. an ion stopper capable of blocking ion flow can be installed downstream of the positive ion source or the negative ion source; 2. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to ensure irradiation of the positive ion beam target or the negative ion beam target with an ion beam of ions from the positive ion source or the negative ion source that is not provided with the ion stopper in a downstream stage, while replacing the positive ion beam target or the negative ion beam target that is not irradiated with the ion beam.

15. A method for producing a radioisotope by accelerating an ion beam and colliding it with a target, comprising: Positive ions from a positive ion source and negative ions from a negative ion source are merged by a merger / bending magnet, and then simultaneously accelerated by a linear accelerator. a positive ion beam of the positive ions and a negative ion beam of the negative ions accelerated by the linear accelerator are separated by a separation deflection magnet; of the separated positive ion beam and negative ion beam, the positive ion beam is irradiated onto a positive ion beam target in a positive ion beam irradiation target section and collides with it to generate the radioactive isotope, and the negative ion beam is irradiated onto a negative ion beam target in a negative ion beam irradiation target section and collides with it to generate the other radioactive isotope; A method for producing a radioisotope, characterized in that these different radioisotopes are produced in parallel.

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