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Title: Sources Sought Electron Multiplication Charge Coupled Device (EMCCD) camera NIST-FY25-CHIPS-0091 The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information from sources th... Title: Sources Sought Electron Multiplication Charge Coupled Device (EMCCD) camera NIST-FY25-CHIPS-0091 The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a Detector and spectrograph for optical emission spectroscopy. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516. BACKGROUND The CHIPS RF Waveform and Rapid Frequency Comb Diagnostics for Plasma Etching Project (5.04) was undertaken to identify methods to improve efficiencies of plasma etching processes. One aspect of this project involves development and application of in situ optical diagnostics capable of characterizing plasma chemistry, including dilute species. One optical technique that meets the needs of this project is optical emission spectroscopy (OES). To perform OES measurements, Group 646.05 needs to procure a detector, a spectrograph, and control/data analysis software. Since dilute species will emit weak signals in (low pressure) plasma etch processes, the detector must have ultra-low noise characteristics as well as a high gain and the spectrograph must be designed with high light collection efficiency while being capable of achieving good spectral resolution. In addition, since many species of interest emit radiation in the ultraviolet to visible spectral range, the detector and spectrograph need to be sensitive in the 200 nm to 700 nm spectral range, while maximizing detector quantum efficiency in the 200 nm to 400 nm range. Also, since the area between the electrodes in the chamber will need to be imaged to characterize spatial uniformity in the plasma, the detector needs to be a camera with an approximately square sensor area and the spectrograph needs to be designed for imaging with a large focal plane area and low optical aberrations. Additionally, high-precision (1 microsecond) hardware time stamping is needed to synchronize detector data with other instrumentation and measurements. Finally, a single software interface for the camera and the spectrographs is required to fully control and automate spectral data acquisition with the output data files containing complete experimental metadata for traceability and reproducibility. To meet the requirements of these measurements, an electron multiplication charge coupled device (EMCCD) camera, a moderate-focal length, imaging spectrograph, and a control/data analysis software package are needed. General Requirements: The Contractor shall provide the following Detector and spectrograph for optical emission spectroscopy that meets the following minimum specifications: Camera Technical Specifications Sensor type: Back-illuminated, electron multiplication CCD Sensor coating: UV enhancement coating Chip size: greater than or equal to 13.3 mm by greater than or equal to 13.3 mm Pixel Format: greater than or equal to 1024 pixels by greater than or equal to 1024 pixels Pixel Dimensions: less than or equal to 16 microns by less than or equal to 16 microns (square) Quantum Efficiency at 200 nm (at 300 K): greater than or equal to 35 % Quantum Efficiency at 300 nm (at 300 K): greater than or equal to 35 % Quantum Efficiency at 400 nm (at 300 K): greater than or equal to 70 % Quantum Efficiency at 500 nm (at 300 K): greater than or equal to 80 % Quantum Efficiency at 600 nm (at 300 K): greater than or equal to 80 % Quantum Efficiency at 700 nm (at 300 K): greater than or equal to 80 % Digitization: greater than or equal to 16 bits Selectable between CCD or electron multiplication CCD mode of operation Electron multiplication gain: 1 to greater than or equal to 1000x Sensor readout noise in EMCCD mode at 5 MHz (without electron multiplication): less than or equal to 30 electrons (root mean square) Sensor readout noise in EMCCD mode at 30 MHz (without electron multiplication): less than or equal to 130 electrons (root mean square) Sensor readout noise in CCD mode at 100 kHz: less than or equal to 5 electrons (root mean square) Sensor readout noise in CCD mode at 1 MHz: less than or equal to 5 electrons (root mean square) Spectra readout rate, full vertical bin: greater than or equal to 1000 frames per second (1 millisecond time resolution) Spectra readout rate, full chip (1 × 1 binning): greater than or equal to 25 frames per second Dark current at ?55 degrees C: less than or equal to 0.04 electrons/pixel/second Thermo-electric cooling with minimum sensor temperature of less than or equal to ?65 degrees C (in 20 degrees C air) Hardware time stamping on each frame with a precision of 1 microsecond or better Window type: Single wedged window Window seal: Permanent vacuum with all metal seals and window brazed to vacuum chamber (no epoxies to be used) Built in shutter Data transfer interface: High-speed interface such as USB 3.0 or Gigabit ethernet Spectrograph Technical Specifications Astigmatism-corrected imaging optical system Czerny-Turner or Schmidt-Czerny-Turner configuration Operating Range of internal optics (gratings excluded):185 nm or shorter wavelength to 1000 nm or longer wavelength Aperture Ratio: f/4.6 or faster Magnification: approximately 1.00 Focal Length: 0.3 m or longer One (1) entrance port with computer-controlled, motorized slits Entrance slits are adjustable from no larger than 10 microns to at least 12 mm One (1) array detector exit port Focal Plane Dimensions: at least 20 mm wide by at least 20 mm high Motorized grating turret with computer-controlled digital wavelength scanning mechanism (no sine bar) Grating turret rotates about the grating turret axis Mechanical Scan Range: 0 to at least 1400 nm Nominal Drive Step Size: no larger than 0.002 nm/step Accuracy: ± 0.2 nm or better Repeatability: ± 0.015 nm or better One (1) interchangeable grating turret holding at least three (3) gratings with all gratings mounted and aligned One (1) grating with a groove density of 150 groove/mm and a 300 nm blaze One (1) grating with a groove density of 300 groove/mm and a 300 nm blaze One (1) grating with a groove density of 600 groove/mm and a 300 nm blaze Resolution: 0.1 nm or better (at 546 nm, 10 micron wide slits, 20 micron wide CCD pixels, 600 gr/mm grating) Internal entrance slit shutter Mounting flange for EMCCD camera configured such that the camera focal plane and spectrograph focal plane can be made to overlap Computer interface: USB Software Requirements Technical Specifications Out-of-the-box spectroscopic and imaging data acquisition and analysis software compatible with 64-bit Windows 10 Software selectable CCD or EMCCD mode of operation Software selectable amplifier gain/sensitivity Software selectable sensor readout rates Software selectable sensor temperature Software selectable internal and external triggering capabilities Software selectable electron multiplication gain from 1 to 1000x Software can control the camera and spectrograph in a fully-integrated package (plug-and-play) Software can automate repetitive data acquisition to collect an arbitrary number of frames, an arbitrary number of times, each acquisition batch initiated by an external trigger Software can perform automated naming and timestamping of repetitive data acquisition sequences Software can save and load the complete set of experimental conditions used for a given measurement, including all camera parameters and all spectrograph parameters Software can save data files containing complete metadata associated with a given acquisition, including camera parameters, spectrograph parameters, per-frame acquisition timing information, and post-processing history Software can record hardware timestamps for each frame to a resolution of 1 microsecond Software can perform automatic wavelength calibration by controlling the grating position and constructing wide-coverage calibration profiles Software can produce wide spectral range data by controlling the grating position and stitching the resulting spectra NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a solution that will achieve the objectives described above. HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Please include only the following information, readable in either Microsoft Word 365, Microsoft Excel 365, or .pdf format, in the response: Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice. Please note that to be considered for award under any official solicitation, the entity must be registered and “active” in SAM at the time of solicitation response. Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI). Identify the equipment that your company sells that can meet the objectives addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice. For each product recommended to meet the Government’s requirement, provide the following: Manufacturer name Model number Technical specifications If your company is not the manufacturer, provide information on your company’s status as an authorized reseller of the product(s) Describe performance capabilities of the product(s) your company recommends to meet the Government’s requirements. Additionally, if there are other features or functions that you believe would assist NIST in meeting its objectives described above, please discuss in your response. Discuss whether the equipment that your company sells and which you describe in your response to this notice may be customized to specifications and indicate any limits to customization. Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section you cannot meet and state why. Please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more competitive. State whether the proposed equipment is manufactured in the United States and, if not, state the name of the country where the equipment is manufactured. Identify any plans/possibilities for changes in manufacturing location of the aforementioned equipment and provide relevant details, including timeline. For the NAICS code listed in this notice: Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business. See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information. If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement. Describe services that are available with the purchase of the aforementioned equipment from your company such as installation, training, and equipment maintenance. Describe standard terms and conditions of sale offered by your company for the recommended equipment such as: delivery time after your company accepts the order; FOB shipping terms; manufacturer warranty (including details regarding nature and duration); if available, description(s) of available extended warranty; equipment setup and test; operator and service instruction manual(s); cleanup after installation; and if applicable, other offered services. Provide a copy of manufacturer standard terms and conditions that typically relate to the sale of the specified equipment, if available. State whether your company offers facility renovation services related to installation of the recommended equipment at its delivery destination, if required per the NIST-identified minimum specifications, and provide description of said services. Indicate if your company performs the facility renovation services or typically subcontracts the work to another company. Indicate if your company would be interested in inspecting the intended installation site during the market research phase. State published price, discount, or rebate arrangements for recommended equipment and/or provide link to access company’s published prices for equipment and services. If the recommended equipment and related services are available for purchase on any existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts against which NIST may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information. Identify any customers in the public or private sectors to which you provided the recommended or similar equipment. Include customer(s) information: company name, phone number, point of contact, email address. Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for NIST to know as part of its market research for this requirement. State if you require NIST to provide additional information to improve your understanding of the government’s requirement and/or would like to meet with NIST representatives to discuss the requirement and the capabilities of the identified equipment. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via email to the Primary Point of Contact and the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice. Questions should be submitted so that they are received by June 27,2025. If the Contracting Officer determines that providing a written amendment to this notice to document question(s) received would benefit other potential respondents, the questions would be anonymized, and a written response to such question(s) would be provided via an amendment to this notice. IMPORTANT NOTES This notice is for market research purposes and should not be construed as a commitment by NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. There is no solicitation available at this time. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capability. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a synopsis and solicitation may be published on GSA’s eBuy or SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered an adequate response to any such solicitation(s). Thank you for taking the time to submit a response to this request.