Notice of Intent to Noncompetitively Acquire Asynchronous Optical Sampling (ASOPS) Pulsed Laser System

Background: Thermoreflectance (TR) pump-probe measurements exploit a fundamental relationship between optical reflectance and temperature. The Coefficient of TR is a physical property that relates a material’s change in temperature to the resulting change in optical reflectance. TR measurements use modulated laser heating and thermal models to probe fundamental thermal properties, including thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and interface conductance. TR can measure a wide range of thermal conductivity values.

These optical measurement techniques are non-contact, non-destructive, spatially resolved, and can uniquely resolve the in-situ thermal properties of thin film and multilayer materials. Measurements on these structures are not possible using traditional thermal measurement methods. NIST is constructing a custom Time Domain Thermoreflectance (TDTR) instrument that will incorporate a multiple color output Asynchronous Optical Sampling System (ASOPS) for high-speed time-resolved pump-probe experiments.

The ASOPS includes the lasers, complete ASOPS synchronization electronics, and pulse trigger and RF synthesizer for tuning the difference frequency. In TDTR, a modulated ultrafast laser “pump” pulse heats the sample and a delayed pulsed “probe” beam interrogates the thermal properties of thin film or multilayered materials as a function of the probe delay time.

The ASOPS TDTR instrument will enable NIST to uniquely measure the in situ thermal properties of thin film and multilayer materials in wide bandgap power electronics materials, packaging materials, and integrated chip components, directly supporting our CHIPS Project: Thermoreflectance Thermal Property Measurements. This CHIPS project supports Grand Challenge 4: Modeling and Simulating Semiconductor Materials, Designs, and Components. This notice is not a request for a quotation.

A solicitation document will not be issued and quotations will not be requested. This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b) via FAR 13.501. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing. In order to meet the project an ASOPS from Menlo Systems is required.

The Melo Systems ASOPS contains patented fiber laser (figure 9®) ASOPS provides: high power operation, low phase noise, improved beam pointing stability, increased scanning speed, reduced mechanical complexity for stable and maintenance free operation, and can both synchronize and variably tune the repetition (“firing”) rate between a signaling heating laser and a sampling probe laser, thereby tracing out the thermal response of a sample as a function of the delay time.

The ASOPS is the most critical component in the TDTR instrument that will enable NIST to measure the thermal properties of thin film and multilayer materials. NIST conducted market research from November 2023 to June 2024 by internet searches, GSA Advantage searches, Thomas Register searches, System for Award Management searches, discussions with colleagues and other professionals, company website searches, discussions with sources, and sources sought posting. The results of that market research revealed that only Menlo Systems Inc; 6205 Lookout RD STE D, Boulder, CO 80301-3334, USA;

UEI: QHZ7ZZZS5KM8 appears to be capable of meeting NIST’s requirements. However, any sources that believe they are capable of meeting NIST’s minimum requirements are encouraged to respond to this notice by the response date to provide the following information at a minimum: Company Unique Entity Identifier number in https://sam.gov; details about what your company is capable of providing that meets or exceeds NIST’s minimum requirements; whether your company is an authorized reseller of the product or service being cited and evidence of such authorization; and any other information that can help NIST determine whether this requirement may be competitively satisfied.