DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLPHARM RADIONUCLIDE IMPLANTATION STATION (IRIS) IN THE CONTEXT OF SPES-ISOLPHARM PROJECT

Radiopharmaceuticals lie at the core of central nuclear medicine. Offering the ability to deliver a predefined amount of radiation to specific tissues for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Since the beginning of last century, they have attracted much attention both in clinical and scientific community. The key components responsible for the diagnostic and/or therapeutic effects are radionuclides with appropriate chemical and decay properties, commonly referred to as medical radionuclides (or radioisotopes). Most medical radionuclides are typically produced using nuclear reactors. However, due to concerns regarding the long-term reliability of reactor-based production, alternative methods, particularly accelerator-based techniques such as cyclotron production, have been proposed and gained attention. In parallel, the growing demand for non-conventional and high-specific-activity radionuclides has underscored the need to explore innovative production routes. Among these, the Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) technique has emerged as a promising method for the production of carrier-free radioisotopes, with successful implementations at facilities such as CERN-MEDICIS and TRIUMF-ISAC. ISOLPHARM (ISOL technique for radioPHARMaceuticals) is a dedicated initiative aimed at producing high-purity, innovative radionuclides for nuclear medicine research. It is based on SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species), the second generation ISOL facility at INFN-LNL. In this approach, Radioactive Ion Beams (RIBs) are generated by irradiating fissile or non-fissile targets with a primary proton beam (up to 70 MeV) extracted from a cyclotron. The beam then undergoes a series of physical processes, including release, ionization, acceleration and mass separation, before being delivered to a dedicated experimental area within the SPES bunker, where ISOLPHARM beamline is installed. This thesis presents the development of IRIS (ISOLPHARM Radionuclide Implantation Station), a device meant for RIB collection, characterization and irradiated sample transport. The mechanical components of IRIS have been optimized and finalized based on the challenges encountered during offline and on-site commissioning. Two generations of control systems were developed to support different phases of testing, namely preliminary offline tests and full on-site commissioning within the SPES bunker. The control systems are designed to function independently while also integrating with external infrastructures such as the SPES vacuum system and machine protection system, both managed by the SPES main control. In the end, a complete solution was developed, providing full electromechanical functionality and compatibility with the operational requirements of the SPES accelerator facility. Finally, a simulation study using FLUKA was conducted to evaluate the radiation exposure risks in the IRIS experimental area. The source term was derived from a newly developed yield estimation workflow, which includes in-target production calculation, selection of species forming the RIBs, and realistic estimation of activities deposited on the collection substrates within IRIS.