SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Large Format Small Pitch High-Operating-Temperature (HOT) Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs)
- Notice Date
- 5/1/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- ACC-APG - Washington, ATTN: CCCE-CW, 10205 Burbeck Road, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5863
- ZIP Code
- 22060-5863
- Solicitation Number
- W909MY12RFPAS
- Response Due
- 5/31/2012
- Archive Date
- 7/30/2012
- Point of Contact
- Karen Travis, 703.704.0813
- E-Mail Address
-
ACC-APG - Washington
(karen.travis1@us.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The U.S. Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) Belvoir Division is seeking sources on behalf of the RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) for state-of-the-art III-V high-operating temperature (HOT) (>150K) focal plane arrays (FPAs) for wide-area (5 km x 5 km) persistent surveillance (1-5 Hz update rate). The intent of this market research is to identify potential capabilities and approaches for research and development through the assessment of FPA parameters including format, pixel pitch, cooling requirements, and cost detailed below. The Government seeks information about capabilities for the development of full-size, small (5-8 um) pitch, large (4K x 4K) sub-array FPAs that could be ready for demonstration in Fiscal Year 2015. This RFI solicits only information on new III-V epi layered infrared materials for HOT Mid-Wave (MW) FPAs. Sources possessing the above capabilities that satisfy the pixel pitch, format, cooling, and low-cost requirements are invited to submit a White Paper not to exceed 20 pages in length describing their capabilities. The White Paper must include, at a minimum, comprehensive answers supported by facts and rigorous scientific reasoning, to the following four sets of questions: 1. What is the minimum pixel pitch that can be successfully demonstrated in the next few years? a) Please provide a list of critical enabling technologies that have to be developed before or in parallel with small-pitch FPA development and demonstration. Facts in funding history and actual performance parameters, together with the anticipated progress time line, will help NVESD to make realistic assessment of future funding requirement and to set performance expectations. b) If a traditional hybridization scheme is required to connect the detector array and readout integrated circuit (ROIC) during the FPA fabrication, what is the expected operability in electrical interconnect, and what is the operability definition used in deriving the number? Based on performance data of existing FPAs, what is the operability as a function of pixel pitch? What are the materials and mechanisms deployed for hybridization? If your company is already developing small-pitch FPAs, what are the issues already encountered and what solutions have been used for mitigation? What are the issues anticipated and what could be the solutions? The same set of questions applies if alternative hybridization or connection schemes are to be used. c) What ROIC technology is suitable for the small-pixel-pitch FPAs? What is the well capacity that can be achieved? Are there ways to mitigate multiple row or column outages? If the answer is yes, what is the estimated development cost if a successful ROIC demonstration has to be completed? What is the estimated ROIC yield and cost? d) Please provide information on FPA processing of small pitch and discuss any issues related to detector pixel sidewall leakage current and passivation approaches associated with your most promising designs. e) Measured or modeled results on FPA modulation transfer function, spatial cross talk, detector quantum efficiency and fill factor as a function of FPA pitch, or at the pitch size that you consider most promising. 2. What is the optimum format of stand-alone and butted FPAs, given the pixel pitch discussed above and the application described in the Background section? a) What should be the largest format of a single-chip FPA? b) What should be the optimum subarray format of a large butted FPA? c) What technologies can be used for butting, and what is the seam loss at each interface? d) Are there ways to mitigate the seam loss either at the FPA level or at the sensor system level? If the answer is yes, please explain how and discuss estimated time frame and development cost. e) Given your answers to all questions above, what is the estimated cost of the large format butted FPA once it's in production? Please show how you derived the number. 3. (Optional) If possible, please discuss any special requirement on the FPA pitch that you have discovered in preparing attractive designs for persistent surveillance systems. 4. (Optional) If possible, please provide the cost per ground pixel at 1-5 Hz for the purpose of comparing the cost at the system level. Please show the detailed derivation and all assumptions made. If you believe that a better optimization parameter for the cost should be used, please specify it and explain your reasoning. White papers must cover one of the following question combinations: a. 1 and 2 b. 1, 2 and 3 c. 1, 2, and 4 d. 1, 2, 3 and 4 Technical POC: Dr. Meimei Tidrow US Army CERDEC NVESD RDER-NVD 10221 Burbeck Road Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 703-704-2793 Papers shall also include: 1. Point (s) of contact (email and phone numbers) for further Government inquiry should more information be desired, name and address of firm, Central Contractor Registration CAGE Code and current level of firm's facility clearance (Secret, Top Secret or No Clearance). 2. Statement as to whether or not your company is considered a small or large business. Please also indicate any socioeconomic classification (8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Woman-Owned Small Business Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Veteran-Owned Small Business Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business) that applies. The small business size standard is 500 employees for the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541712. Additionally, responders should include direct answers to the following questions: a. Are you planning on being a Prime or a Subcontractor? If a Prime (continue to question b) b. If you are a small business and plan to be a prime please inform how you will meet the limitations on subcontracting Clause 52.219-14? c. If your company is awarded the contract, will you be able to perform at least 50% of the work required in house? d. The Government understands that teaming is an intricate part of contracting. Please briefly describe how you would approach selecting team members for this requirement if you are not performing this action 100% in house? e. If you are a small business, can your company sustain if not paid for 90 calendar days? f. Can you acquire enough space to perform this task prior to contract award or within 15 calendar days after contract award? g. Has your Company performed this type of effort or similar type effort (to include size and complexity) before, if so provide Contract Number, Point of Contact (POC), e-mail address, phone number, and a brief description of your direct support of the effort? This information will help the Government form its acquisition strategy. This Request for Information (RFI) is for informational purposes only. It is not a request for proposal and does not constitute any obligation by the Government to award a contract based on the findings of this RFI. The Government will not reimburse interested sources or respondents to notice, or any follow-on notice, for any costs incurred in association with this announcement or for subsequent exchanges of information. Proprietary information submitted in response to this Sources Sought shall be marked accordingly and will be protected when clearly identified as proprietary. The ideas presented in the white paper will be discussed and assessed by U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) and other government agencies involved in III-V infrared material research and development. For the review of this information, the Government intends to use technical experts from the Institute of Defense Analysis (IDA). Each submission should include a Non Disclosure Agreement with IDA along with their white paper in accordance with FAR 9.505 4. The point of contact for this agreement at IDA is Ms. Sheila Green, Manager, Contracts Administration at sfgreen@ida.org. Response to this Sources Sought should be received no later than 30 calendar days from the date of this notice and should be submitted via email to karen.e.travis4.civ@mail.mil. Acknowledgement of receipt will be issued. The subject of the email message shall be: W909MY12RFPAS RFI - Your Company's Name. All requests for further information must be in writing and via email; telephonic requests for additional information will not be honored.
- Web Link
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FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/13c7fb43e7cfacb7369770c9c22bc067)
- Place of Performance
- Address: ACC-APG - Washington ATTN: CCAP-CCV-B-1, 10205 Burbeck Road Fort Belvoir VA
- Zip Code: 22060-5863
- Zip Code: 22060-5863
- Record
- SN02736154-W 20120503/120502000336-13c7fb43e7cfacb7369770c9c22bc067 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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