Design and development of a variable frequency high-power RF tetrode amplifier for high-energy compact proton cyclotron accelerators

Abstract The paper presents the design of a tetrode radio frequency (RF) amplifier system for high-current proton cyclotron accelerators used in the production of medical isotopes, targeting cyclotrons of different energy levels. The system is based on a variable frequency design with a tuning mechanism, making it adaptable to cyclotron devices operating at various energy levels and frequencies. The wideband tetrode amplifier design covers the typical cyclotron operating frequency range of 30–90 MHz, with a power output range from 50 kW to 150 kW. Based on this design, the system performance testing was conducted, and the RF system was successfully tuned and commissioned on the 50 MeV accelerator of the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), achieving satisfactory results. The design and testing procedures of the variable frequency RF amplifier will be discussed in this paper.