SOLICITATION NOTICE
66 -- Microspot Spectroscopic Ellipsometer
- Notice Date
- 4/8/2009
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B129, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1640
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1640
- Solicitation Number
- SB1341-09-RQ-0143
- Archive Date
- 5/9/2009
- Point of Contact
- Carol A. Wood, Phone: 301-975-8172, Todd D Hill, Phone: 301-975-8802
- E-Mail Address
-
carol.wood@nist.gov, todd.hill@nist.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THIS SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR SUBPART 13.5 TEST PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS. This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-32. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. This acquisition shall be procured using full and open competition. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Optical Technology Division, is developing measurement methods, standards, and services for optical grating scatterometry and requires a microspot spectroscopic ellipsometer capable of making measurements from small micropatterned periodic structures. These structures are one-dimensional or two-dimensional gratings that can be as small as 50 micrometers on a side and fabricated on silicon wafers. A single wafer or chip may contain many such target gratings and NIST needs to be able to navigate between them. NIST intends to measure the reflectance properties of these targets and compare the results of theoretical calculations (supplied by NIST) to determine the dimensions of the target structures. While scatterometry measurements are typically made with the angle of incidence aligned along the grating direction, NIST intends to use the ellipsometer to perform measurements along other directions as well to enhance sensitivity to grating structure. NIST will also use the ellipsometer for traditional thin film measurements and will use the vendor’s software for data analysis. In its simplest form, an ellipsometer measures the ratio of the reflection coefficients for s- and p- polarizations as a complex number. This ratio may be expressed in terms of real angles delta and psi, in terms of the tangent of psi and the cosine of delta, or in terms of alpha and beta. These terms are generally accepted in the field and are defined in, for example, H.G. Tompkins, A User’s Guide to Ellipsometry (Academic Press, Boston, 1993). The required ellipsometer shall, at a minimum, measure any of these pairs of values. The ellipsometer software shall provide estimates of the variance of and covariance between these values propagated from the noise in the measurement such that at each wavelength the ellipsometric parameters expressed in any of the above formats, along with a correctly propagated noise estimates, can be output for analysis by the user. In a generalized form, an ellipsometer can measure the ratios of the elements of the sample Jones matrix. Generalized ellipsometers measure the ratios of the elements of the sample Jones matrix. Generalized ellipsometers are preferred. All responsible quoters shall provide a quotation for all of the following line items: LINE ITEM 0001: Quantity one (1) each Microspot Spectroscopic Ellipsometer. The system must consist of the following equipment and software, or equivalent. The system must meet all of the required specifications identified herein. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: The ellipsometer shall be capable of measuring ellipsometric parameters over an optical wavelength range of 250 nm to 850 nm on a horizontally mounted sample; The coarse height adjustment of the ellipsometer optics must be able to accommodate thick samples or samples mounted on an auxiliary apparatus (such as a hot stage, to be provided by the customer) up to a thickness of 20 mm; The illumination spot size at the sample shall have a minimum spot size no greater than 70 micrometers full-width at half-maximum along any dimension in the horizontal sample plane. A smaller minimum spot size is preferred. The ellipsometer shall operate using at least one angle of incidence between 40 degrees and 70 degrees with respect to the sample normal; The ellipsometer shall include a spotting camera aligned to the primary ellipsometry beam; the camera shall provide sufficient resolution for locating patterned features on the sample with dimensions less than 10 micrometers; The ellipsometer shall provide a means to position and orient the sample with respect to the fixed plane of incidence of the ellipsometer such that sample height (z), tip-tilt, x-y position in the horizontal plane, and sample rotation angle in the horizontal plane are adjustable; The ellipsometer shall accommodate samples having a diameter of at least 300 mm; however, x-y positioning capability shall only be required over a central 150 mm x 150 mm travel range; Software shall be provided for data acquisition and analysis. CONFIGURATION The ellipsometer shall consist of three main parts: (1) Ellipsometer head; (2) Sample stage; and (3) Computer. The ellipsometer head shall include the means for illumination, polarization control and detection of ellipsometric signals as well as focusing of the illumination spot, and also include an imaging camera separate from the ellipsometry optics for the purpose of visualizing and navigating on the sample. The sample stage shall include the means for supporting a horizontal sample at the position of the ellipsometer optical spot, and for translation and rotation of the sample such that a specific spot on the sample can be positioned into the ellipsometer illumination. In addition, the sample stage must allow for arbitrary rotation of the sample with respect to the ellipsometer plane of incidence. The computer shall include software for controlling the ellipsometer head, acquiring ellipsometric data, and driving any automated motions of the head and sample stages. The computer shall also include ellipsometry data analysis software. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS Ellipsometer Head The ellipsometer spectral range shall be no less than 250 nm to 850 nm. An ellipsometric spectrum shall include at least 300 wavelengths; The ellipsometer shall include a means of blocking or otherwise eliminating the UV (wavelength < 350 nm) portion of the spectrum for use with UV-sensitive samples; The ellipsometer may be phase modulated, rotating compensator, or any other ellipsometric design capable of spectroscopic measurements of the ellipsometric parameters psi and delta over the stated spectral range; The ellipsometer head shall include ultra-microspot focusing capability, such that, in the minimum spot size configuration, the spot size at the sample does not exceed 70 micrometers full-width half maximum in any dimension; The ellipsometer head shall also be capable of operation at a larger spot size of at least 150 micrometers; The ellipsometer shall operate at an angle of incidence between 40 degrees and 70 degrees. A fixed angle of incidence is acceptable; however, an adjustable angle of incidence is preferred; The acquisition time for a single ellipsometric spectrum with the tolerances stated below shall be no longer than 30 seconds; faster acquisition time is preferred. The imaging camera shall be capable of imaging features on the sample of 10 micrometers or smaller. Camera images must be able to be saved to the computer. Tolerances The ellipsometric parameters psi and delta shall be accurate to +/- 0.1 degrees or better for a straight through (no sample) measurement, for psi at 45 degrees and delta at 0 degrees, for 90% of the measured wavelengths. The ellipsometric parameters shall be reproducible to +/- 0.05 degrees or better, for psi at 45 degrees, and delta at 0 degrees; The measurement reproducibility for an oxide on silicon sample shall be +/- 0.01 nm with an acquisition time of no longer than 30 seconds. The wavelength resolution shall be better than 2 nm and accurate to within 2 nm. Angle of incidence shall be accurate and reproducible to +/- 0.1 degrees. Sample Stage The sample stage shall include a sample holder that shall support circular samples of up to 200 mm in diameter and have sufficient clearance to accommodate circular samples with diameters of up to 300 mm; The sample stage shall provide adjustment of the sample tip, tilt and piston (z-translation) with respect to the ellipsometer head so that slightly wedged or thick samples can be accommodated and to guarantee that the sample is properly aligned. Sample tip and tilt shall be adjustable, and the head-to-sample z-distance shall be adjustable with at least 20 mm of travel. It is acceptable for z-translation and sample tip and tilt adjustment to be manual; automated z-translation and alignment and automated tip and tilt alignment are preferred. The sample stage shall provide motorized adjustment of sample x and y positions in the horizontal sample plane. The x and y motion shall have a range of no less than 150 mm x 150 mm. The x and y motion shall be controlled by the software provided by the vendor. The sample stage shall provide adjustment of the sample rotation angle theta about the sample normal. The theta motion shall have a range of no less than 360 degrees. The sample stage can provide manual or motorized adjustment of theta. If manual adjustment is provided, a fine adjustment capability to 0.1 degree shall be provided. Motorized adjustment of theta is preferred. Tolerances Tolerances associated with all of the rotations, translations, components holding them together, and their alignment shall ensure that the ellipsometer incident angle on the sample is accurate and reproducible to within +/- 0.1 degree and that position of the ellipsometer spot on the sample face is accurate to within 10 micrometers and reproducible to within 5 micrometers, with minimum step size of no greater than 5 micrometers; The sample rotation angle theta shall be accurate and reproducible to within +/- 0.1 deg. Computer and Software The Contractor shall provide a computer with software for data acquisition and analysis. Data acquisition software shall include integrated controls for all automated stages of the ellipsometer, automated dynamic data acquisition, and data import and export capabilities; The software shall allow the user to program a sequence of measurements, including automated measurement at different locations on the sample, and automated time-sequenced measurements; Data acquisition software shall save measured ellipsometric parameters in a non-proprietary, user-readable format that includes the estimated variance and covariance information, noise estimate, the operating conditions of the instrument, and the date and time of the measurement. The software shall allow the user to save the image obtained using the spotting camera; Data analysis software shall allow fitting of multi-layer film thicknesses and optical constants. The optical constant models shall be constrained using common dispersion models, including Cauchy, Sellmeier, and Tauc-Lorentz dispersion models, other Kramer-Kronig-consistent dispersion models, and Effective-Medium-Approximation (EMA) Theory. Analysis software shall include data export, including non-proprietary, customer-readable files of the optical constants (n and k) versus wavelength for fitted films. Analysis software must be Windows XP based so that it is compatible with NIST’s existing operating system. Two licenses shall be provided for the analysis software. Interface The Contractor shall provide controllers, power supplies, cables, and operation manuals for all hardware. System Dimensions The total system dimensions shall not exceed 6’ (width), 3.5’ (depth) and 3’ (height). LINE ITEM 0002: INSTALLATION: The Contractor shall install the system. Installation shall include, at a minimum, uncrating/unpackaging of all equipment, set-up and hook-up of all equipment, start-up, and demonstration of all required specifications. Qualified personnel shall install the system and perform all activities necessary to ensure the system is fully functional and meets all required specifications. The Contractor shall perform all of the following tests as a part of installation and final acceptance testing. The resulting sets of measurements must be in accordance with the required specifications. 1. Spot size testing: The ellipsometer shall be configured for minimum spot size and a grating target of 100 micrometers on a side shall be positioned into the ellipsometer spot. The imaging camera shall be used to visualize the ellipsometer spot on the target and to verify that the spot size meets the specification. 2. Measurement speed and repeatability: The ellipsometer shall perform successive ellipsometric spectra over the full wavelength range of the ellipsometer using an oxide-on-silicon reference sample. The acquisition time per spectra shall be demonstrated to be no longer than 30 s and the repeatability of the extracted oxide thickness shall be better than 0.01 nm (one standard deviation). 3. Translation demonstration: The sample stage shall be used to translate a structured sample into position in the ellipsometer spot. The sample shall be moved away from this position, then returned to the same coordinates repeatedly in order to demonstrate the positioning reproducibility to better than 5 micrometers. LINE ITEM 0003: TRAINING: The Contractor shall provide training for NIST personnel. The training session shall be performed on-site at NIST Gaithersburg. The training session shall commence immediately upon completion of installation, required testing, and demonstration of specifications. This training session shall include, at a minimum, a demonstration of all equipment functions and equipment operation which will allow NIST personnel to operate the system to its full capabilities, and basic troubleshooting. Installation and training must be scheduled, in advance, with the NIST Technical Contact. LINE ITEM 0004: WARRANTY: The Contractor shall provide, at a minimum, a one year warranty for the equipment. The warranty shall be on-site at NIST Gaithersburg during business hours only. All parts, labor and travel shall be included. The Contractor must respond to the NIST Technical Contact via telephone or e-mail not later than 48 hours after a warranty call is placed. The Contractor must arrive on-site at NIST Gaithersburg not later than 2 weeks after the date the call is placed. In the event that an equipment malfunction renders the instrument unusable for a period of 30 days or more, the Government reserves the right to pursue consideration from the Contractor which fairly and equitably protects the mission of the Optical Technology Division. OPTION LINE ITEMS Line Items 0005 through 0010 are option line items. The Contractor shall provide pricing for these line items. The price quoted for Line Item 0005 shall be effective for a period of one year from the date the manufacturer’s warranty commences. The Government may exercise this option line item, at its discretion, at any time during the one year warranty period. The prices quoted for Line Items 0006 through 0010 shall be effective for a period of one year from the date of award. The Government may exercise these option line items, at its discretion, at any time during the one year period following the date of award. LINE ITEM 0005 (OPTION LINE ITEM) SERVICE CONTRACT The Contractor shall provide a one year service contract for the equipment which, if exercised, shall commence the day following the expiration of the Contractor’s commercial warranty. The terms of the service contract shall be identical to the terms of the warranty. LINE ITEM 0006 (OPTION LINE ITEM) TRAINING The Contractor shall provide an additional training session for NIST personnel. This training session shall include, at a minimum, a demonstration of all equipment functions and equipment operation which will allow NIST personnel to operate the system to its full capabilities, and basic troubleshooting. The training shall be scheduled upon exercise of the option line item. LINE ITEMS 0007, 0008 AND 0009 (OPTION LINE ITEMS) EXTRA COPIES/LICENSES FOR SOFTWARE The Contractor shall provide one each additional analysis software license. LINE ITEM 0010 (OPTION LINE ITEM) TABLE AND ELECTRONICS RACK MOUNT The Contractor shall provide a table in which the ellipsometer can rest and under which the electronics and computer can reside. This table shall have retractable castors to allow it to be moved. The dimensions of the rack mount, along with the ellipsometer, electronics and computer shall not exceed 6’ (width), 3.5’ (depth) and 6’ (height). DELIVERY Delivery, installation, and training must be completed not later than 120 days after receipt of purchase order. Delivery term shall be FOB Destination. The Contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. FINAL ACCEPTANCE NIST will accept the system, and provide payment upon successful completion of delivery, installation, training, installation tests, and demonstration of all required specifications. Payment terms shall be Net 30 Days. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BASIS FOR AWARD Award will be made to the Contractor whose quote offers the best value to the Government price and non-price factors considered. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria: 1) Technical Capability: Meeting or Exceeding the Requirement, 2) Past Performance, and Price. Technical Capability and Past Performance, when combined, are approximately equal in importance to price. Technical capability shall be more important than past performance. Technical Capability Evaluation of Technical Capability shall be based on the documentation and test data provided. Documentation submitted in the quotation shall be evaluated to determine that the proposed equipment meets or exceeds the required specifications identified herein. Test data submitted will be analyzed to further evaluate and confirm the ability of the system to meet or exceed the minimum specifications. In determining best value, preference shall be given to the following: 1. Generalized ellipsometers; 2. A smaller minimum spot size; 3. Faster acquisition time; 4. Automated tip and tilt alignment of the sample; 5. Motorized adjustment of Theta; 6. Adjustability of the ellipsometer angle of incidence. Past Performance: Past Performance shall be evaluated to determine the overall quality of the product and service provided by the Contractor. Evaluation of Past Performance shall be based on the references provided and/or information provided by NIST and its affiliates. REQUIRED SUBMISSIONS All quoters shall submit the following: 1) An original and one copy of a price quotation which addresses all line items; 2) For the purpose of technical evaluation quoters shall submit two copies of technical description and/or product literature which clearly details the manufacturer, make and model of the proposed product(s), addresses all required specifications, and clearly documents that the offered product(s) meet(s) or exceeds the required specifications stated herein; 3) For the purpose of past performance evaluation: A list of at least three (3) past performance references. The list of references shall include, at a minimum: The name of the company or organization and the reference contact person; e-mail address and telephone number of the reference contact person; the contract or grant number; the amount of the contract; the address and telephone number of the Contracting Officer if applicable; and the date of delivery or the date services were completed; 4) The Government will perform an initial technical evaluation upon receipt of the written quote information required by Paragraph 2 above. Quoters determined to be technically acceptable under the Technical Capability factor “Meeting or Exceeding the Requirement,” shall be required to submit test data. The Government will then evaluate the results of this data, in conjunction with the information provided with the original written quote submission, to determine the quote that provides the best value. Tests shall be performed and test data provided in accordance with the following: a. Quoters shall provide specific documentation of the minimum spot size. This documentation shall be provided in the form of an image of the spot on a grating target, with features of known dimensions included in the image. The target shall be provided by NIST. b. Quoters shall have 5 business days to complete all tests and return the data to the NIST Contract Specialist; c. At the request of the Contract Specialist, quoters shall provide the company name, address and point of contact to ship the target. NIST shall provide the target via 2-day shipment to the Contractor at NIST’s expense. d. Tests must be completed on an instrument identical in specification to that being quoted by the Contractor and shall be performed at no cost to the Government. 5) This is an Open-Market Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for equipment as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation that will include the terms and conditions that are set forth herein. In order to facilitate the award process, ALL quotes shall include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows: The offeror shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition.” OR The offeror shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following: Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s) Please note that this procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the offeror’s FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation. DUE DATE FOR QUOTATIONS All quotations shall be sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition Management Division, Attn: Carol A. Wood, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640. All offerors shall ensure the RFQ number is visible on the outermost packaging. Submission must be received not later than 3:30 p.m. local time on April 24, 2009. FAX quotations shall not be accepted. E-mail quotations shall be accepted. Because of heightened security, FED-EX, UPS, or similar delivery methods are the preferred method of delivery of quotes. If quotes are hand delivered, delivery shall be made on the actual due date through Gate A, and a 48 hour (excluding weekends and holidays) prior notice shall be provided to Carol Wood, Contract Specialist on 301-975-8172. NIST is not responsible for late delivery due to the added security measures. In addition, quoters who do not provide 24-hour notification in order to coordinate entrance to the NIST campus shall assume the risk of not being able to deliver quotes on time. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at www.acqnet.gov/far. The following provisions apply to this acquisition: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors — Commercial; 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications — Commercial Items. 52.217-5, Evaluation of Options; In accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications — Commercial Items, offerors must complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca.bpn.gov. If paragraph (j) of the provision applies, a written submission is required; The following clauses apply to this acquisition: 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items; 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items including subparagraphs: 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government; 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns; 52.219-28, Post-Award Small Business Program Representation; 52.222-3, Convict Labor; 52.222-19, Child Labor—Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies; 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity; 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; 52.222-39 Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees; 52.225-3, Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements-Israeli Trade Act; 52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases (E.O. 12722, 12724, 13059, 13067, 13121, and 13129; and 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--Central Contractor Registration. 52.217-7 Option for Increased Quantity-Separately Priced Line Item; and Department of Commerce Agency-Level Protest Procedures Level above the Contracting Officer is also incorporated. It can be downloaded at www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/agency.htm.
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Ship to:, NIST, SHIPPING AND RECEIVING, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 21742, United States
- Zip Code: 21742
- Zip Code: 21742
- Record
- SN01788609-W 20090410/090408220523-06198e8ba77f30d9c57a74a5630a1332 (fbodaily.com)
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