A niobium water target for routine production of [18F]Fluoride with a MC 17 cyclotron

A [18F]Fluoride water target was constructed for a Scanditronix MC 17 cyclotron, without a beam line, with a typical wide beam of ∼30×5 mm2. Niobium was used as target chamber material. One hour irradiation with 45 μA protons yields about 110 GBq [18F]Fluoride. The saturation yield is 8.0±0.6 GBq/μA (EOB). The FDG yield is 60±5% (EOS) with a TracerLab MX (G.E. Healthcare). More than 100 GBq FDG is routinely produced after a 2 h irradiation.

► A [18 F]Fluoride water target was constructed for a MC 17 cyclotron. ► Chemically inert niobium was used as target chamber.► Produced [18 F]Fluoride was tested by making more than thousand FDG batches. ► Saturation yield is 8.0±0.6 GBq/μA and FDG yield is 60±5%.