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The semiconductor supply chain is global, specialized, and interconnected. Chipmakers do business with thousands of individual suppliers that provide the highly complex materials and tools used to pro... The semiconductor supply chain is global, specialized, and interconnected. Chipmakers do business with thousands of individual suppliers that provide the highly complex materials and tools used to produce semiconductors. To address the lack of full visibility into the semiconductor market's supply chain and R&D ecosystem gaps, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will conduct the measurement science, or metrology, critical to the development of new materials, packaging, and production methods in chip manufacturing.?The project requires the addition of a spectroscopy detection system to a preexisting optical spectrometer that enables cathodoluminescence (CL) detection in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral range. The NIST Materials Science and Engineering Division (MSED) mission includes developing techniques for structure and property measurements in CHIPS-relevant materials at the nanoscale under working conditions. The multimodal approach developed around the environmental transmission electron microscope (ETEM), including high-resolution imaging, diffraction, and chemical analysis techniques, such as electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and infrared-to-visible cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, are currently supporting this mission. The UV CL detection system sought here will extend the CL spectroscopy capability to analyze and resolve spatially photon emissions due to charge-carrier relaxations in ultrawide and wide bandgap materials that occur immediately after near-atomic-resolution excitations by a scanning electron beam. This will be achieved through photon dispersion, selection, and detection through a series of components that include but are not limited to a high-efficiency single-pixel detector, such as a photomultiplier tube optimized for detection in the UV spectral range. UV photon emissions contain rich spectroscopic information on sub-bandgap energy states associated with defects and defect clusters in ultrawide or wide bandgap semiconductors; therefore, the capability of resolving defect-relevant energy transitions at the nanoscale is critical for the development of defect metrology for power electronics by elucidating the spatial correlation between structural defects and optoelectronic properties. The CL detection system sought here will expand the STEM-CL imaging capability to defect classification in power electronic devices at the single defect level, enabling early-production-stage diagnostic imaging for the CHIPS industry. NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a commercial solution for a UV CL detection system that meets or exceeds the following draft minimum specifications: A cathodoluminescence detection system based on a photomultiplier tube optically configured for photon counting in a wavelength range longer than 160 nm but shorter than 860 nm, with a suitable window material. The above detection system shall be equipped with a thermoelectrically air-cooled housing with direct output from the anode of most side-on 28 mm diameter photomultiplier tubes, including a cooling controller and a high-voltage power supply up to 1,300 V. The above detection system shall come with an adaptor that couples the air-cooled housing to the wavelength-selecting slit on a preexisting HORIBA spectrometer (iHR-550). The above detection system shall be equipped with a data acquisition system that includes at least one photon count input module for measuring low light levels, configurable current/voltage input channels, one 16-bit analog-to-digital converter, one USB communication interface, one analog output for the photomultiplier tube’s high-voltage control, +/-15 V supply for external devices, and all compatible cables. The above detection system shall include panchromatic acquisition, which allows for simultaneous photon detection in a wide wavelength range. The above detection system shall be equipped with a monochromatic mechanism that includes at least two plane holographic gratings optimized to disperse photons in a wavelength range longer than 160 nm but shorter than 850 nm at high efficiency. The mechanism shall be compatible with a preexisting grating turret that has two open positions, and the preexisting grating turret shall be aligned at the Contractor’s facility. The above detection system shall have electrical power requirements that allow for the use of electrical outlets that provide 120 V/60 Hz. The above detection system shall include a control and analysis software capable of: Modulating the dispersion (monochromator/gratings), wavelength-selecting slit, gain, and other available parameters for photon detection and signal processing, Processing, plotting, and manipulating spectral data, such as spectrum integration for shots of the signal obtained in consecutive wavelength ranges. The Contractor shall provide application program interface(s) (API) for the control and query of instrument functionalities consistent with expert- and custodian-level access, allowing for custom-built applications to establish the communication and control between the above detection system and preexisting ETEM components. HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORRMATION. 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 specialist listed at the bottom of this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice. 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 laboratory equipment that your company sells that is of the nature addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice. Include brand name, make, model, and/or other distinguishing information. State if your company is the manufacturer of the identified equipment or is a retailer or wholesaler that normally sells the identified equipment. If the latter, indicate whether the manufacturer authorized in writing for your company to sell the identified equipment on behalf of the manufacturer. Describe performance capabilities and relevant or beneficial physical and functional features for any equipment you identified to satisfy the NIST-identified minimum specifications described in this notice. Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section above that could be viewed as unduly restrictive or contain unnecessary barriers that adversely affect your ability to fully participate and indicate why. In such a scenario, please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more inclusive and competitive. 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. 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 aforementioned 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 aforementioned equipment at its delivery destination, if required per the NIST-identified minimum specifications, and provide description of 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 inspecting the intended installation site during the market research phase. State published price, discount or rebate arrangements for aforementioned equipment and/or provide link to access company’s published prices for equipment and services. State whether the aforementioned 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. If the aforementioned 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 place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information. Identify any customers in the public or private sectors in which you provided the aforementioned 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 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on July 29, 2024. Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline. IMPORTANT NOTES The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future. This notice should not be construed as a commitment by NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotations. No award will be made as a result of this notice. NIST is not responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and appropriate. Thank you for taking the time to submit a response to this request!