Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

CATHOLOUMMINESCENCE (CL) INSTRUMENT AND SPECTROPHOTOMETER: This sources sought notice is for informational purposes only and shall not be considered a solicitation, obligation, or commitment by the Go... CATHOLOUMMINESCENCE (CL) INSTRUMENT AND SPECTROPHOTOMETER: This sources sought notice is for informational purposes only and shall not be considered a solicitation, obligation, or commitment by the Government. This notice is for market research to determine the availability of any businesses with capabilities to provide an optical microscope cathodoluminescence (CL) stage equipped with two accessories: (1) an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and (2) a spectrophotometer matching the Salient Characteristics listed below. GENERAL Description and Salient Characteristics. The stage and the spectrometer will be added to an existing petrographic microscope to allow USGS to observe mineral luminescence when minerals are impacted by an electron beam. The spectrophotometer accessory collects photons and displays spectra of CL intensity versus wavelength. These spectra can be interpreted to understand the basis for CL color. The associated X-ray spectrometer allows for the identity of the chemical makeup of the minerals that are luminescencing. The desired microscope must be capable of identifying zircon in-situ that can be analyzed by the Sensitive High-Resolution Ion MicroProbe ¿ Reverse Geometry (SHRIMP-RG) located at Stanford University, CA. Other applications are summarized on this Web page: https://serc.carleton.edu/research_education/geochemsheets/semcl.html ¿ The stage and spectrometer must be designed to work with a petrographic microscope, such as the Nikon Optiphot Pol. ¿ The sample material to be analyzed are standard polished thin sections. The viewing area of the stage must be large enough to study an entire polished thin section (typically 27 by 46 mm). ¿ A cold cathode source must be the source of the electrons used for imaging. The cold cathode source eliminates the need for coating the sample material with conductive material. ¿ The CL stage must be compatible with the working distances of the microscope objectives on the USGS microscope ¿ 20 mm for the 5x objective and 9 mm for the 10x objective. ¿ The CL stage have a controller that regulates beam current and voltage. controlled by separate electronic unit. ¿ The CL stage must include a vacuum pump and controllers that works with the stage. ¿ The CL stage must accommodate addition of an energy dispersive X-Ray spectrometer (EDS) that will fit on standard camera mounts used on petrographic microscopes. ¿ The energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer must have a beryllium window that is less than 1 mil thick, a, high resolution detector, control system, and a multichannel analyzer, ¿ The spectrophotometer accessory must include a monochromator, the detector photomultiplier tube (PMT), and signal processor (software to acquire and process the data). The spectrophotometer should be optimized for working with spectral emissions in the ultraviolet to visual range (approximately 190 to 900 nanometers). The purpose of this notice is to determine interest and capability of potential sources. The NAICS is 333314, Laboratory Analytical Optical Manufacturing, 500 Employees. Interested parties will submit an email detailing their capabilities and experience with these supplies and services. Sufficient information must be provided to demonstrate the ability to complete the supplies and services. This is not a request for quotation or an announcement of a solicitation. Responses will be used for market research only. Responses are due no later than 01/11/2019 1300 EDT. Response must be submitted to Stewart Evans by email at sevans@usgs.gov. Responses shall only be accepted through electronic mail addressed to sevans@usgs.gov. All response documents required by this sources sought must be uploaded and received in their entirety no later than 01/11/2019. Responses submitted by hardcopy or the FedConnect web portal or Fed Connect Message Center shall not be accepted or considered. Place of performance is the Contractor's Facility