SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR A PULSED AND CHIRPED TERAHERTZ COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SYSTEM
- Notice Date
- 5/23/2007
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
- ZIP Code
- 44135
- Solicitation Number
- RFI2007Roth
- Response Due
- 6/22/2007
- Archive Date
- 5/23/2008
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NASA/GRC is hereby soliciting information about potential sources for a Pulsed and Chirped Terahertz Computed Tomography System. We are interested in knowing if vendors have the capability to build a system meeting the specifications set forth herein and in receiving comments on the specifications and estimated costs for such a system. (Specifications are set forth at the end of this notice.) No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offeror?s responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Vendors having the capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements are invited to submit appropriate documentation, literature, brochures, and references. Because this information is sought for future planning purposes, potential offerors are requested to provide price estimates if possible. These estimates may be general in nature and will be used solely for budget planning purposes. Technical questions should be directed to: Don Roth at Donald.J.Roth@nasa.gov. Procurement related questions should be directed to: Dawn Pottinger at Dawn.R.Pottinger@nasa.gov. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business or 8(a) set-aside based on responses hereto. All responses shall be submitted to Dawn Pottinger no later than June 22, 2007. Please reference RFI-2007-Roth in any response. Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below. Desired specifications for the system are as follows: The contractor shall build, deliver, and install a turn key ?time-domain Pulsed and Chirped (spectroscopic) terahertz computed tomography system? according to the specifications started below. Terahertz nondestructive evaluation is an emerging technology and becoming of increasing importance in the inspection world. Generation and detection of Pulsed and Chirped T-rays involves femtosecond laser pulses, which power paired photoconductive transducers. Terahertz radiation is part of the electromagnetic spectrum lying between microwaves and the far-IR. This region has frequencies ranging from 0.1 ? 10 THz and wavelengths from 3 mm to 0.03 mm. NASA desires to have a Pulsed and Chirped broadband Terahertz computed tomography system to virtually slice materials and build up 3D volumetric visualizations similar to what is done with Xray computed tomography. NASA?s interest in this technology will relate to characterizing dielectric materials for thermal protection systems (foams and tiles) for exploration and hypersonic systems, seals for Crew Exploration Vehicle, and structural applications such as Kevlar-based COPV (composite overwrap pressure vessel). Similar to x-ray images, THz wavelengths penetrate through most materials and can easily reveal imperfections such as voids, cracks, and density variations. THz offers some advantages over x-ray including that the radiation is non-ionizing and thus is completely safe. Example imaging applications include flaw detection in the sprayed-on-foam-insulation (SOFI) for the space shuttle program, detection of threat objects in checked airline baggage and stand-off detection of threat objects in packages or on people. NASA is open to creative ways to provide 3-D terahertz imaging including but is focused for now on the pulsed and chirped tomographic method (ref. 1) as follows. Mandatory Items: 1. The source should be terahertz broadband capability between 0.1 and 3 THz. Depth and lateral resolution within a cross-sectional slice plane should be 1 mm or better. 2. The source-detector assembly shall be collinear. 3. Pulsed and Chirped probe modes should be available. The chirped probe mode greatly accelerates the speed of the scan according to ref. 1. 4. The system should work in both through-transmission and single-sided back-scatter (pulse-echo) mode, and allow image slices to be formed at the various frequencies in the band. Additionally, the system should allow operation in a 2-d mode similar so that an image can be obtained similar to a 2-d digital radiograph. 5. Signal-to-noise ratio shall be nominally 100:1 or better at peak frequency and 50:1 at Full-width half max frequency points. 6. In pulsed mode, data acquisition rate can be variable but would need to be as high as 6.4 THz. The waveform time length acquired can be variable but shall be as large 2048 points (320 psec). 7.The sample positioning system shall have stepper motors and controllers capable of 10 micrometer steps in the vertical and horizontal directions and less than or equal to 1 degree of rotation in the plane of the cross-sectional slice. 360 degrees of rotation is desired. 8. The largest practical sample size that can be inspected based on the experience of the vendor / manufacturer can be communicated to NASA. 9. Slice reconstructions should be possible using peak amplitude, peak time, peak phase, peak magnitude, or magnitude and phase as a function of frequency. The reconstruction time should be optimized. 10. Both terahertz waveform and image slice data should be viewable on the display and control software native to the system, and also exportable as raw data and to various data formats for use with popular 3d visualization programs such as 3D doctor and custom formats to be specified by NASA. Raw data format specification must be provided so that NASA can write translation programs for use with NASA custom-developed software. 11. The system should be operable with a Windows XP or Windows Vista-based PC of 3 GHz Dual Pentium (or equivalent) or greater. The system software shall be in English. 12. The system shall have 1 terabyte of hard-drive storage capability. 13. Calibration test standards must be provided that demonstrate the spatial resolution in both tomography modes and 2-d mode. 14. Laser safety issues must be specified and recommendations provided. 15. The system shall be demonstrated to meet above specifications on-site at vendor location with NASA representative present. 16. A maintenance and repair contract shall be provided for the first year after acceptance of this system. 17. The offeror shall provide two (2) days of training for two NASA researchers during or immediately following the installation period. 18. The installation shall be completed with four weeks from the time of delivery. 19. Complete documentation (two sets of each of the operation manuals, blueprints, separate components specifications, and troubleshooting manuals), i.e., sufficient information for the Government researcher to fix and troubleshoot problems that are not classified as proprietary issues in order to keep the system functioning. Note: Reference - Wang, S. and Zhang, X-C., Chirped terahertz tomography. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 37 (2004). Specifically see pgs. R18 ? R25 dealing with the pulsed and chirped probe modes for the tomography system.
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