EXPERIMENTAL ACTIVITY IN THE ENEA-FRASCATI IRRADIATION FACILITY WITH 3-7 MEV PROTONS M. Vadrucci, A. Ampollini, F. Bonfigli, M. Carpanese, F.Marracino, R. M. Montereali, P. Nenzi, L. Picardi, M. Piccinini, C. Ronsivalle, V. Surrenti, M. A. Vincenti (ENEA Frascati, Roma) M. Balduzzi, C. Marino, C. Snels (ENEA Casaccia, Roma) C. De Angelis, G. Esposito, M. A. Tabocchini (ISS, Roma), F. Ambrosini, M. Balucani, A. Klyshko (Sapienza University of Roma - DIET, Rome) Porous Silicon Abstract A variable energy (3-7 MeV) and pulsed current (0.1 – 100 µA) proton beam has been made available for different applications (radiobiology experiments, detectors development, material studies) in an irradiation facility at ENEA-Frascati based on the 7 MeV injector of the proton-therapy linac under realization in the framework of the TOP-IMPLART Project. It is a 425 MHz linear accelerator consisting in a 3 MeV RFQ followed by a DTL up to 7 MeV (PL-7 ACCSYS HITACHI model) followed by an horizontal and a vertical beam transport line. The latter one is particularly suitable for radiobiology in vitro studies allowing to irradiate besides cell monolayers also cell growing in suspension culture. The paper describes the facility and the recent results of the experimental activity. 1.TOP-IMPLART AT ENEA-FRASCATI 3. HIGH FLUENCE PROTON BEAM HORIZONTAL TRANSPORT LINE, 2. LOW FLUENCE PROTON BEAM VERTICAL TRANSPORT LINE RADIOBIOLOGY EXPERIMENTS LiF-Detectors development The TOP-IMPLART layout 3-7 MeV Protons Irradiation Facility TOP IMPLART PROJECT Oncological Therapy with Protons – Intensity Modulated Proton Linear Accelerator for RadioTherapy -ENEA, ISS, IFO collaboration – to build a proton-therapy linac to be housed in the largest oncological hospital in Rome, IFO. VARIABLE CURRENT 30keV SOURCE VERTICAL LINE TERMINAL HORIZONTAL LINE EXTRACTIONS 3 – 7 MeV RFQDTL Spatial dose distribution on Gaf-Chromic EBT3 film 90%uniformity KAPTON WINDOW 50  m THICK Au SCATTERER 2  m THICK Al COLLIMATOR 2mm DIAMETER MYLAR 50  m THICK 6  m V79 Sample holder for cells exponential increase of cell death increasing Dose as expected from the Linear Quadratic Model of the Surviving Fraction with Dose for low LET radiation exposures Transferred pattern after porous silicon removal Cross section of exposed silicon after porous silicon formation. The area in the image corresponds to the edge of one masked area. Porous silicon appears lighter in the image and has a rough texture. The thickness of the non-porous area is 31µm because of the imaging angle (67°) Experimental setup used to irradiate silicon sample PROTONS ENERGY= 1.8 MeV FLUENCE= – protons/cm 2 SAMPLE: 1.5 x 1.5cm 2 p-type silicon doped with Boron (100) Ohm*cm PATTERN: Molybdenum mask to transfer patterns on silicon ANALYSIS: FESEM (Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope) Porous Silicon for Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems Silicon Bulk Micromachining - Integrated visible photoluminescence signal as a function of the 3 and 7 MeV proton fluence in irradiated LiF films - PL image of the proton beam transversal section stored by CCs PROTONS ENERGY= 3 and 7 MeV FLUENCE= – protons/cm 2 SAMPLE: (10 x 10 x 1) mm 3 LiF crystals and 1 mm thick LiF films grown by thermal evaporation on glass substrates ANALYSIS: PhotoLuminescence (PL) Spectrometer and Fluorescence Optical Microscopy (with a cooled s-CMOS camera to record the transversal proton beam intensity profile by acquiring the PL image of irradiated LiF) Imaging Detectors based on the optical reading of the photoluminescence (PL) of radiation-induced visible-emitting colour centres (CCs). The average F, F2 and F + 3 defect vs fluency PL spectra of samples irradiated with a fluence of protons/cm 2