Notice of Intent to Sole Source for 2D Soft X-ray Camera (UHV compatible)

Notice of Intent to Noncompetitively acquire soft X-ray 2D camera detectors (UHV compatible). 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). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334413, Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing which has a small business size standard of 1,250 employees.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Materials Measurement Lab (MML) is upgrading the resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS) end station at NSLS-II at the Brookhaven National Laboratory facility as part of a project in the CHIPS Metrology program. The end station is used for measuring the microstructure and local chemistry of a variety of soft matter systems including those used in photolithography, organic electronics, water membranes, and biological systems.

The end station is operated as part of the general user program at NSLS-II and is available for use through a proposal review system. The end station is situated on the SST1 beamline (https://www.bnl.gov/nsls2/beamlines/beamline.php?r=7-ID-1). The RSoXS end station is being upgraded to allow soft X-ray reflectivity and a method called resonant critical dimension small angle scattering (res-CDSAXS). These measurements will enhance the ability of the end station to characterize new materials for photolithography.

This requirement necessitates a system with the sample and the detector on a 2-circle goniometer in the vacuum chamber. The upgrade will also add a high throughput sample exchange system to increase the sample throughput of the end station. As part of the upgrade of the SST1 resonant soft X-ray scattering beamline, NIST requires a new 2D soft X-ray camera with a high frame rate that is fully vacuum compatible. The 2D soft X-ray detector will be installed on an end station on the SST1 beamline at NSLS-II.

The detector will measure scattering patterns from samples including advanced photoresists. Measurements need to be done quickly to allow high throughput measurements. The Contractor shall provide 2D soft X-ray camera detectors that meets all technical specifications and performance specifications identified below:

Detector shall be fully in-vacuum Vacuum compatibility < 1e-6 Torr Shall be capable of mounting on a goniometer arm Detector size Detector length, height, and width shall be <= 25 cm to provide sufficient clearance Detector specs Quantum efficiency shall be > 80% for X-ray energies between 100 and 1000 eV Frame rate shall be > 15 fps Active sensor area shall be > 35 mm x 35 mm Pixel area shall be < 12 µm x 12 µm Number of pixels shall be > 4000 pixels x 4000 pixels Dark current shall be < 0.2 e-/pixel/s Read noise shall be < 4 e- Connections Shall have cooling line connectors compatible with air-guarding Shall have vacuum compatible communication cables with a data transfer rate of 560 MB/s or higher.

Shall include power supply and vacuum compatible cables Shall include cables to connect feedthrough to the controller card Shall include necessary vacuum feedthroughs for air guarded cooling lines, power cable, and communication connections Shall include any controller cards necessary to communicate with camera A hard protective case shall be provided to store the camera during shipping and while the camera is not in use Examples include a Pelican case or an ATR300 (https://nanuk.com/products/nanuk-950?variant=38294627188917) Software Shall include generic control application (Mosaic 3.0) and SDK for Windows and Linux NIST conducted market research in April 2024 to December 2024 to determine what sources could potentially meet NIST’s minimum requirements.

This included searches on GSA; SAM; Thomas Register; surveying vendor websites; speaking with subject matter experts inside and outside of NIST; and issuance of a Sources Sought Notice on SAM.gov. Market research identified a few manufacturers that produce 2D soft X-ray cameras, but only one can meet all requirements above. The results of market research revealed that only Axis Photonique Inc (UEI: ESUELN4D1VX7) 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 (UEI) 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.

A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Only responses received by the offers due date and time of this notice will be considered by the government. Responses shall be submitted via email to nina.lin@nist.gov.