SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- CRYOGEN-FREE MICROSCOPY CRYOSTAT SYSTEM
- Notice Date
- 3/6/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- 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
- AMD-12-SS21
- Archive Date
- 4/5/2012
- Point of Contact
- Todd D Hill, Phone: 301-975-8802
- E-Mail Address
-
todd.hill@nist.gov
(todd.hill@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of providing a cryogen-free microscopy cryostat system. This system will be used in optical spectroscopy of semiconductor nanophotonic devices, in which a custom optical fiber waveguide probe will be used to perform near-field characterization of cryogenically-cooled samples. The system will be used to support scientific and technical research projects at the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST). After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed and specifications are developed for a cryogen-free microscopy cryostat system that can meet NIST's minimum requirements, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a Purchase Order. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside. NIST has a need for a cryogen-free microscopy cryostat system that would meet the following requirements: 1. CRYOGEN-FREE: System must be a closed-cycle, cryogen-free cryostat using a variable flow helium compressor or equivalent cooling approach. 2. INTERIOR SAMPLE CHAMBER: The interior sample chamber (cold space) must have a diameter of at least 100 mm and a height of at least 62 mm. 3. CRYOGENIC STAGE INTEGRATION: System must come equipped with several low temperature compatible motorized stages required for fiber probing measurements. Stage requirements include: 1) Two attocube systems model ANPx101/LT/RES coarse positioners (or equivalent), each providing a minimum of 4 mm of linear (in-plane) translation, a minimum open-loop step size of less than 15 nm, and a closed-loop sensor resolution less than 250 nm, all at 4.2 K. The stage must be less than or equal to 25 mm x 25 mm x 12 mm in size. 2) One attocube systems model ANPz101/LT/RES coarse positioner (or equivalent), providing a minimum of 4 mm of linear (out-of-plane) translation, a minimum open-loop step size of less than 15 nm, and a closed-loop sensor resolution less than 250 nm, all at 4.2 K. The stage must be less than or equal to 25 mm x 25 mm x 25 mm in size. 3) One attocube systems model ANGt101/LT/RES goniometer (or equivalent), providing a tilt of at least 6o, a minimum step size less than 0.1 m0, and a sensor resolution of 0.02 mo, all at 4.2 K. The stage must be less than or equal to 25 mm x 25 mm x 12 mm in size. 4) One attocube systems model ANSxyz100/LT scanner or equivalent, providing a travel range of at least 25 micrometers x 25 micrometers x 10 micrometers and sub-nanometer resolution in all dimensions at 4.2 K. The stage must be less than or equal to 25 mm x 25 mm x 12 mm in size. 5) All stages must be mounted within the interior sample chamber (cold space) of the cryostat. Stages must be mounted in a pair of stacks (needed for the fiber probing measurements), with all of the coarse stages mounted in one stack (e.g., attocube ANPz101/LT/RES, ANPx101/LT/RES, ANPx101/LT/RES) and goniometer and scanner mounted in the other stack (e.g., attocube ANPGt101/LT/RES, ANSxyz100/LT). 6) Stages must be completely integrated in the cryostat, including routing of all stage wires, incorporation of electrical feedthroughs, etc. 7) All necessary control electronics for independent control of all stages must be included; e.g., attocube systems ANC350/4/RES and ANC300 with three ANM200 scanning modules, or equivalent. The control electronics must drive the stages over their full translation ranges, achieve the resolution levels listed above, and read out the stage positions (for the encoded stages). The controllers must allow for either standalone, manual operation, or remote operation through computer control. Computer control must be done through USB or GPIB, and all Labview drivers or other necessary software for remote operation must be included. 4. TEMPERATURE: The temperature at the top of both of the stage stacks must be able to reach 6K or lower. 5. TEMPERATURE STABILITY: Temperature fluctuations must be <25 mK peak-to-peak 6. COOLDOWN TIME: The system must reach 6K at the top of both of the stage stacks within 240 minutes. 7. VIBRATION STABILITY: Vibration amplitude at the sample platform must be <5 nm peak-to-peak 8. OPTICAL ACCESS: Optical access from the top side of the cryostat with a window at least 25 mm in diameter must be provided. The separation between the outside of the window and the top of the sample stack must be less than 20 mm. 9. FIBER OPTIC PORT: Feedthrough allowing introduction of two 250 micrometer-jacketed optical fibers into the cryostat sample chamber must be provided. Feedthrough must consist of a 1/8" Swagelok tube fitting welded to the appropriate cryostat flange. 10. GAS TUNING PORT: Feedthrough allowing introduction of a 1/8" gas tube thermally lagged into the sample space must be provided. 11. ELECTRICAL FEEDTHROUGHS: A minimum of 15 free electrical connections must be provided into the sample area. These free electrical connections are meant for future introduction of temperature sensors, heaters, etc, and do not include the connections needed for the low temperature stages and standard sensors and heaters. The electrical connections should be thermally lagged into the sample space. 12. AUTOMATION: Cooldown and pumpout must be fully automated and controlled via computer interface. 13. SOFTWARE: All required software for running the system must be provided. This includes standalone software and/or Labview drivers. The software must allow for temperature setpoint control, temperature monitoring, and diagnostics of the vacuum pumpdown and helium compressor. NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small businesses. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 334516, as those domestic sources having 500 employees or less. Please include your company's size classification in any response to this notice. Companies that manufacture such cryogen-free cryostat systems are requested to email a detailed report describing their abilities to todd.hill@nist.gov no later than the response date for this sources sought notice. The report should include achievable specifications and any other information relevant to your product or capabilities. Also, the following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice: 1. Name of the company that manufactures the system components for which specifications are provided. 2. Name of company(ies) that are authorized to sell the system components, their addresses, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address). 3. Indication of number of days, after receipt of order that is typical for delivery of such systems. 4. Indication of whether each instrument for which specifications are sent to todd.hill@nist.gov are currently on one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts and, if so, the GSA FSS contract number(s). 5. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/AMD-12-SS21/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, United States
- Zip Code: 20899
- Zip Code: 20899
- Record
- SN02690196-W 20120308/120307120710-1a2b241e7c6f698e0f28f8fb15cf8348 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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