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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF AUGUST 01, 2004 FBO #0979
SOLICITATION NOTICE

66 -- Scanning Electron Microscope

Notice Date

7/30/2004
 

Notice Type

Solicitation Notice
 

NAICS

334515 — Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals
 

Contracting Office

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Mountain Administrative Support Center, 325 Broadway - MC3, Boulder, CO, 80305-3328
 

ZIP Code

80305-3328
 

Solicitation Number

RA1341-04-RP-4034
 

Response Due

9/8/2004
 

Archive Date

10/15/2004
 

Point of Contact

Jan Clark, Contract Specialist, Phone (303) 497-6320, Fax (303) 497-3163, - Rhonda Nelson, Procurement Technician, Phone (303) 497-3487, Fax (303) 497-3163,
 

E-Mail Address

jan.clark@noaa.gov, Rhonda.Nelson@noaa.gov
 

Description

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for a commercial item prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented by additional information included in this notice and in accordance with the simplified acquisition procedures authorized in FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will NOT be issued. The solicitation number is RA1341-04-RP-4034 and issued as a request for proposal (RFP). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2001-24. The NAICS Code is 334515. Any amendment(s) hereto will only be published in the FedBizOpps. A. BACKGROUND: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Quantum Electrical Metrology Division has a requirement for a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to be used in combination with existing electron beam lithography (EBL) software to create a state-of-the-art research EBL and imaging system. This system will replace NIST?s existing microscope. This instrument will be the primary imaging tool and the only EBL tool for a large user-based Fabrication Facility. The present SEM has limitations that need to be resolved in the new instrument. Much of the work focuses on aluminum devices on silicon and thus have very low contrast in imaging due to their similar Z-numbers. At low acceleration voltages (less than 10 kV) where the contrast is best, the resolution becomes inadequate to characterize these devices properly. In the present system the chamber size and stage travel limit NIST?s ability to easily image or write (EBL) entire wafers (up to 4 inches in diameter). Finally, the microscope is in a multi-user facility and responsible operation is often difficult to monitor, and is reflected in the typically short filament lifetimes and level of column cleanliness. B. GENERAL SYSTEM DESCRIPTION: The microscope shall be based on a Schottky emission filament (also known as a thermal field emitter). Thermal field emission microscopes are known to provide excellent resolution, typically better than 3 nm at 1 kV acceleration voltage, and have ultra-stable emission currents making them ideal for EBL. The microscope shall include all the hardware and software to acquire and view images. The microscope load lock (if equipped), stage and specimen chamber should accommodate wafers up to 4? (approximately 100 mm) in diameter. The stage travel shall be large enough to scan the entire wafer. The system shall be equipped with an electrostatic beam blanker and any associated electronics to provide blanking times less than 10 ns. The system must also be easily integrated with the pattern generation software currently licensed NPGS (Nabity Pattern Generation System) to enable EBL. To ease maintenance in a multi-user environment, the system shall include a cryogenic trap for rapidly out gassing samples to protect the filament. The system shall be pumped by a turbo molecular pump. If the turbo pump is not the standard pumping system on a particular microscope model, all specifications (resolution, vibration, etc.) shall be verified with the turbo pump in operation. C. TECHNICAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: 1. Performance Specifications: a) Resolution: less than 3 nm at 1 kV, less than 2 nm at greater than 10kV; b)Emission current drift: less than 1 percent in 12 hours; c)Beam blanker: i. On:Off ratio: greater than 10,000:1, and ii. Rise/fall times: better than 10 ns d)Stage: i. reproducibility: less than 3 microns, and ii. backlash less than 2 microns. 2. Hardware and Software Specifications: a) Load lock (if equipped) and stage shall accommodate 4? wafers/specimen holders; b) Stage travel shall be large enough to allow viewing/writing of entire 4? wafer; c) Stage vertical (z-axis) range of motion shall be 40 mm or greater; d) Stage shall have digitally encoded knobs to allow user to move stage manually; e) The system shall include an assortment of specimen holders appropriate for small chips (less than 0.25 inch) and 3? and 4? wafers; f) The specimen chamber shall be pumped by a turbo molecular pump and backed by a dry high speed roughing pump (such as a scroll pump). If an oil based roughing pump is used, details of how backstreaming will be controlled must be given. Specimen exchange time must be only a few minutes; g) A cold finger/can shall be provided for additional protection when imaging fast outgassing specimens; h) Operating acceleration voltages: from less than 1kV to 30 kV; i) Magnification: from below 15x to 500,000x or greater; j) Detectors: the machine shall come equipped with a back-scattered electron detector in addition to the standard secondary electron detector; k) The beam blanker unit shall be electrostatic and come with any additional amplifiers to provide high on/off ratios (greater than 10,000) with less than 10 ns blanking times; and l) The filament shall provide up to 100 nA emission current for high-current EBL applications, and be measured using an integrated Faraday cup. (Ammeter need not be included). D. OPTION: The following option is to be included and priced as a separate line item in the proposal. 1. A ?manual? interface to allow direct manual control of focus, magnification, contrast, brightness, astigmatism and beam alignment. This should serve as an alternative to configuring these parameters through the GUI interface. E. INSTALLATION, TRAINING, DOCUMENTATION, WARRANTY AND SUPPORT: Site inspection is required prior to installation. The contractor is required to install and verify the performance of the microscope at NIST, Boulder, CO. Training (for up to 4 people) shall be provided for NIST staff at NIST Boulder, CO. Full documentation, including operation and safety considerations shall be provided. In addition, the Contractor shall provide all documentation necessary to interface with the stage/imaging/external blanking/external x-y controls via external programs written by the end users. The Contractor shall provide mechanical drawings for the specimen holders to allow fabrication of NIST?s own compatible specimen holders. The warranty shall cover 1 year from the date of successful installation/verification at NIST. Successful installation is defined as a demonstration that meets the requirements of the Performance Specifications of Section C. 1. and Hardware and Software Specifications of Section C. 2. at NIST. F. DELIVERY: The Government?s desired delivery time is 120 days following contract award. However, the Government will consider later delivery times, but offerors proposing delivery times longer than 120 days will be down rated. G. ACCEPTANCE: Following successful installation, verification, and training, NIST will have three working weeks to accept all aspects of the system. In the event that the system fails the tests performed at the Government site after installation, the parties will attempt by mutual agreement to negotiate an appropriate period of time for the Contractor to repair the failures. The Contractor shall repair the failures on Government premises; however, the Government may unilaterally decide to return the equipment at no cost to the Government for repair at the Contractor?s facility or for rejection of the system. SELECTION CRITERIA & INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Meets the Technical Specifications (30%): Proposals must demonstrate how each of the technical specifications are met by the proposed instrument. 2. Past Performance (30%): Proposals must contain accurate contact information for three customers who have purchased thermal field emission microscopes similar to the proposed SEM and integrated NPGS for EBL. These references will be contacted to obtain opinions regarding system and service quality, especially with respect to EBL applications. Other prior customers may also be contacted. Questions to be asked of the references, but may not be limited to, are as follows: a) Did the equipment meet the customer?s specifications? b) Was the equipment delivered on time? c) Was the equipment installed correctly? d) Was the documentation for the equipment complete and accurate? e) How skilled are the technicians in your service region? f) Was the supplier responsive to queries once the equipment was installed? g) How reliable/robust was the equipment? h) How quickly did the supplier remedy any failures of the equipment? i) Were the representatives of the supplier courteous and professional? j) How would you characterize the consistency of fine EBL features at the single chip/wafer scale level? k) Do you have any problems with stage reproducibility or hysteresis in imaging parameters (i.e., probe current, magnification) which have impeded your EBL? l) How does the machine perform in a multi-user environment? Do you find the filament alignment stable over many weeks/months in such an environment? 3. Systematic Design Features (Software and Hardware) that Improve Reliability and Consistency in EBL Applications in a Multi-User Environment (15%): Proposals should describe the user interface for controlling and using the SEM (this may take the form of a user manual, for instance), to give us an idea of the user interface. Proposals should also detail any design features which facilitate multiple user management and robustness. This may include special software for managing user settings and image files for instance, or particularly special failure mode (power, vacuum or user failure) features which protect the filament and prevent column contamination. Descriptions of these failure modes will be appreciated. Since this will be a multi-user facility with users at varying skill levels, ease of use will be a strong consideration. This includes both imaging applications and NPGS, as well as features relating to the export of data and networking. The system will also be utilized for wafer-scale EBL. Therefore, it is important that die-to-die parameters, such as stage reproducibility and backlash, are consistent. Additionally, the focus stability over periods of a few hours will be very important. 4. Warranty and Service Package (15%): As noted in Paragraph E., proposals shall describe the length of the warranty provided and a description of the type of service to be provided during the warranty period. Proposals that demonstrate the ability to provide prompt response to equipment failure will be scored higher. Proposals with service representatives located in the continental United States will be scored higher. In addition, offerors are requested to include a description (and cost) of their annual maintenance/service plan once the warranty period has expired. 5. Delivery (10%): Proposals should clearly specify delivery time. Proposals that specify delivery dates longer than 120 days after contract award will be scored lower. 6. Price Proposals will be considered on a best value basis. Hence, Criteria 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 when combined, are more important than Criteria 6, Price. Forms and clauses stipulated herein may be downloaded via the internet at the following address: http://www.arnet.gov/far/. Interested parties are responsible for accessing and downloading documents and forms from that (or any other) site. Firms without access to the internet may call 303/497-5588 and request that copies of the clauses, provisions, and/or forms be either mailed or faxed to them. Offers shall include a properly completed and signed Standard Form 1449. The firm fixed-price for CLIN 0001 shall include the price for the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), including shipping (FOB Destination) and warranty. CLIN 0002 is an option for the price of the Manual Interface. The following provisions and clauses are hereby incorporated by reference: FAR 52.212-1 (JAN 2004) (provision) Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items // FAR 52.212-2 (JAN 1999) (provision) Evaluation - Commercial Items// FAR 52.212-3 (MAY 2004) (provision) AOfferor Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items@ NOTE: Offerors shall include with their offers a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3. // FAR 52.212-4 (OCT 2003) (clause) Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items, // FAR 52.212-5 (JUN 2004) (clause) Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items including the following additional FAR clauses referenced in FAR 52.212-5, subparagraphs (b) (1), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (20), (24), (25), (26), and (30). Addendum 52.217-7 (clause) Option for Increased Quantity - Separately Priced Line Item (MAR 1989). Offers shall be evaluated in accordance with the Test Program procedures at FAR 13.500. The Government reserves the right to make award without discussions. For further information, please contact Jan Clark (303/497-6320). Offers are due at 3:00 P.M. on September 8, 2004 and shall be mailed to: BID DEPOSITORY/ DOC, NOAA, MASC, MC3, Acquisition Management Division, DSRC Room 33-GB506A, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305-3328. ALL hand-carried offers must be scanned in Building 22 at 325 Broadway in Boulder, Colorado prior to being delivered to the David Skaggs Research Center., Room 33-GB506A, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO. If they are not scanned, they may be refused. E-MAIL OR FACSIMILE OFFERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. See Numbered Note 12. EMAILADD: MASC.Solicitation@noaa.gov EMAILDESC: NOAA, MASC Acquisition Management Division
 

Place of Performance

Address: 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO

Zip Code: 80305-3328

Country: US
 

Record

SN00633676-W 20040801/040730211844 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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