Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JULY 22, 2011 FBO #3527
SOURCES SOUGHT

66 -- Optical Instrument

Notice Date

7/20/2011
 

Notice Type

Sources Sought
 

NAICS

333314 — Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing
 

Contracting Office

Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, ASC/PKO, 1940 ALLBROOK DRIVE, WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, 45433-5309, United States
 

ZIP Code

45433-5309
 

Solicitation Number

FA8601-11-P-0399
 

Archive Date

8/16/2011
 

Point of Contact

Stephanie E. Roberts, Phone: 9375224527
 

E-Mail Address

stephanie.roberts@wpafb.af.mil
(stephanie.roberts@wpafb.af.mil)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS (Not a Notice of Solicitation) The United States Air Force, ASC/Operational Contracting Division, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio is seeking potential sources that are capable of providing a system that can obtain reliable and precise Quantum Efficiency/ Incident Photon-to-electron Conversion Efficiency spectra of solar cells that are fabricated from a wide variety of materials, that have varying device sizes and geometrics, and that have a wide ranging photo-response characteristics. Contractors responding should specify that their equipment meets the specifications provided below and provide detailed product information to show clear technical compliance. Additionally, sales history, including recent commercial companies sold to should be included to determine commerciality. The required specifications for the System are as follows: 1. Light Sources The system must have dual light sources (Xenon Arc and Quartz Tungsten Halogen) in order to adequately cover the appropriate spectral range with sufficient spectral throughput (at least 20 microwatts, averaging 40 microwatts, in a 2.5 nm bandwidth at the monochromator exit slit for 750 micron slit width) 1.1 Each must be at least 250 watts to provide adequate intensity and less than 400 watts to minimize heating of the laboratory 1.2 The Xenon system must include a light intensity controller in order to ensure repeatable sample light irradiation conditions 1.2.1. The light intensity controller should have a fiber optic to couple the sampled light to the controller 1.2.1. The light intensity controller must have a temperature stabilized photodetector so that it can maintain a constant output intensity. 1.3 The Tungsten Halogen lamp must have a regulated dc supply to provide constance of beam intensity 1.4 The two light sources must be selectable without physically being reconfigured while maintaining a single optical path through the monochromator, chopper, filter wheel, etc 1.4.1 A flip mirror to choose between the two sources is the preferred means of lamp selection 1.4.2 Lamp selection must be electronically controllable by at least TWO of the following: TTL signal level Switch located on optical worktable Computer control via RS-232, GPIB or USB with drivers for Windows 7 included 2. Monochromator The monochromator must meet the following minimum specifications to provide the appropriate spectral purity and fluence 2.1 Focal length in the 1/4 meter class, not lower than 0.22 m. Longer focal lengths are acceptable subject to overall size limit 2.2 The monochromator must be computer controlled via one or more of the following - listed in preferred order USB GPIB RS-232 with USB to RS-232 interfaces provided by the vendor 2.3 The monochromator must be delivered with drivers for Windows 7 and Labview 2010 2.4 Monochromator will be supplied with a shutter 2.4.1 The shutter must be capable of totally blocking the light downstream of the monochromator 2.4.2 The shutter must be capable of computer control by one or more of the following: Integrated interface within the monochromator interface and controlled by the monochromator driver USB interface with Windows 7 and Labview 2010 drivers provided GPIB RS-232 with vendor integrated USB to RS-232 converters and drivers for Windows 7 and Labview 2010 2.5 The monochromator must be at least f/4 and be supplied with a minimum of 2 gratings that cover the spectral range of 300 nm to greater than 1400 nm 2.5.1 A turret with gratings continually mounted and computer selectable is preferred 2.5.2 Manual interchange of the gratings is acceptable provided the gratings can be readily interchanged without optical realignment 2.5.3 The blaze of the gratings should be chosen to maintain the greatest photon fluence through the exit slit of the monochromator for the following ranges 300 nm to 1100 nm for the routine visible/near infrared characterization of P-V devices - primarily with the Xenon source Wavelengths greater than 600 nm for use in the near infrared primarily with the tungsten-halogen source 2.6 The monochromator must be provided with fiber beam delivery to allow for non-routine measurements of P-V devices. These cables should be approximately 3 feet long. 2.7 The monochromator must support both dc and ac characterization of P-V devices as discussed in other sections 2.7.1 This requires either an internal or fully enclosed chopper for ac measurements 2.7.2 A clear optical path is required for dc measurements. If the chopper cannot be placed in a known fully open state, a second exit port is required for dc measurements Removing light shrouds to place the chopper in a known open state is not acceptable due to the possibility of misaligning the optics with repeated use If a second exit port is provided, it must be selectable by computer control with the same requirements as listed above. 2.8 The monochromator must be provided with a computer controlled filter wheel. 2.8.1 The preferred location for the filter wheel is at the entrance slit to the monochromator 2.8.2 The filter wheel must be provided with long pass filters appropriate to blocking second order light from the exit beam 2.8.3 The minimum size of the filters should be 25 mm in diameter 2.8.4 Long-pass filters should be provided equivalent to the following: 300 nm, 590 nm, 780nm, and 1050 nm. 2.8.5 The filter wheel must internal to the monochromator or in a light-tight coupling to the monochromator 2.8.6 The filter wheel is subject to the same software requirements as listed above. 3. Chopper A mechanical chopper must be provided to allow ac characterization of P-V devices to be made 3.1 The minimum acceptable frequency range is less than 10 Hz to at least 1 kHz - without changing chopper blades. 3.2The chopping frequency must be electronically adjustable via computer control 3.3 The chopper must be integral to the monochromator or light-tight enclosures must be provided. 3.4 It would be preferable to be able to put the chopper in a known open state with its motor off to allow dc measurements 4. Slits Micrometer or computer controlled adjustable slits must be provided for each port on the monochromator 4.1 Computerized slits must meet the same interface/software requirements as the filter wheel above 4.2 Computerized slits should have a maximum slit width increment of 10 microns. 4.3 The slits should open to at least 3 mm 4.4 Manual slits should have adjustable height 5. Experimental Methodology The system must take data in a ratiometric manner 5.1 A calibrated reference detector of minimum area 1 cm by 1 cm is required along with appropriate preamplifiers (if needed) 5.1.1 The minimum size is determined by the largest expected area of P-V devices to be measured 5.1.1 The calibration should be certified by the vendor and traceable to NIST standards. 5.2 Measurement electronics must be provided to acquire the data from the calibrated standard and from the P-V device under test 5.2.1 For dc measurements, an electrometer or Source Meter TM is preferred, but a calibrated sensitive optical power meter is acceptable. The measurement device must meet the computerized control requirements listed under monochromator 5.2.2 For ac measurements a phase sensitive (lock-in) detection scheme is required. This can be in the form of a lock-in amplifier An optical power meter system with synchronous detection is acceptable 5.2.3 Preamplifiers or Transimpedance amplifiers as needed are to be provided by the vendor and certified accurate by the manufacturer. 5.2.4 If a second reference detector is needed for ac measurements, it is subject to the same requirements as a. above. 5.2.5 The measurement device must meet the computerized control requirements listed under monochromator The system must be capable of testing samples in dc mode 5.3 This mode requires a continuous beam of light, with the appropriate reference detector and detection electronics 5.4 It is the user's responsibility to shield stray light; however, the optical design of the system should minimize light leakage. The system must be capable of testing samples in ac mode in both an unbiased and white-light-biased mode 5.5 Unbiased refers to using only the light exiting the monochromator to illuminate the P-V device under test 5.6 White-light-biased refers to having a white light of controlled intensity fall upon the P-V device under test so that the device can be measured near its operational mode 5.6.1 The white light source must be of constant intensity without significant fluctuations in intensity, so as not to interfere with the phase sensitive measurements. 5.6.2 The bias light source must be coupled to the sample region via optical fiber bundles 5.6.3 The bias light must be uniformly adjustable in intensity up to levels of 100 mw/cm2 5.6.4 The vendor will supply the power supply and all needed accessories for the white light source The vendor must supply software to support ratiometric measurement of P-V samples with the hardware. 5.7 The software must be self-contained and perform, as a minimum, the following tasks 5.7.1 Set up the experiment to be run - wavelengths to measure, slit widths if applicable, initial instrument settings, select the appropriate filter and/or gratings. 5.7.2 It must run the scan (either reference or DUT) and record the data into a file. 5.7.3 Once both standard and DUT scans are complete, it must calculate the IPCE for the DUT and record that data into a file. It is preferable to display in graphic form the data as it is being taken and the resulting IPCE afterwards. 5.7.4 It is acceptable to have separate programs for dc and ac measurements. The vendor must supply a mid to upper-range (Intel I5 or I7) laptop computer with at least 6GB of RAM, more than 500 GB of hard disk space, and a DVD/RW drive as a minimum to control the experiment 5.8 The computer is to have Windows 7 (either 32 or 64 bit) as its native operating system 5.9 All vendor supplied software must run properly on the provided laptop computer. 5.10 A copy of Labview 2010 Professional is to be provided to allow custom programs to be developed locally. Labview drivers compatible with 2010 Professional are to be provided with all instrumental components capable of computer control/data acquisition Due to space considerations, the system cannot have a footprint exceeding 48 x 60 inches. 5.11 Any breadboards or other significant support features are to be provided by the vendor with the kit. 5.12 The vendor will provide mounts, posts, couplings, lensholders, lenses etc., as necessary, so that the system can successfully perform the IPCE measurements described above. 5.13 All appropriate electrical power, signal, and computer cables will be provided by the vendor to allow the IPCE measurements described above to be successfully completed. 6. Setup and Training The vender personnel must visit on site to configure the system and train the S&T staff 6.1 The vendor must configure the components to perform IPCE measurements as described above 6.2 The vendor must verify the functionality of all components and demonstrate that the system is working properly 6.3 The vendor must train the S&T staff or end users of the supplied software All interested contractors shall submit a response demonstrating their capabilities to produce the requested equipment to the Primary Point of Contact listed below. As stipulated in FAR 15.201, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. The decision to solicit for a contract shall be solely within the Government's discretion. Contractors responding should indicate whether they are, or are not, a small business, a socially and economically disadvantaged business, or a woman owned business. The general definition of a small business is one that is independently owned and operated, is not dominant in the field of operation in which it is proposing on Air Force contracts and with its affiliates; and the number of employees does not exceed 500. NAICS Code to be used for this acquisition is 333314. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business set-aside based upon responses hereto for any subsequent acquisition. Respondents are further requested to indicate their status as a Foreign-owned/Foreign-controlled contractor and any contemplated use of foreign national employees on this effort. Any information submitted by respondents to this sources sought synopsis is voluntary. This sources sought notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government reimburse any costs associated with the submission of information in response to this notice. Respondents will not individually be notified of the results of any government assessments. The Government's evaluation of the capability statements received will factor into whether any forthcoming solicitation will be conducted as a full and open competition or as a set-aside for small businesses, or any particular small business designation (e.g. SDVOSB, HUBZone, 8(a), SDB, WOSB, VOSB, etc.). CAPABILITIES PACKAGE: All interested contractors shall submit a capabilities package that explicitly demonstrates company capabilities-indicating examples of commercial sales-and product specifications related to this effort. Responses may be submitted electronically to the following e-mail address: stephanie.roberts@wpafb.af.mil in a Microsoft Word compatible format or mailed to ASC/PKOAA POC: Stephanie Roberts, 1940 Allbrook Dr. Ste 3 Rm 109, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-5309 to be received no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 1 August, 2011. Direct all questions concerning this acquisition to Stephanie Roberts at stephanie.roberts@wpafb.af.mil.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/88 CONS/FA8601-11-P-0399/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: 2941 Hobson Way, WPAFB, Ohio, 45433, United States

Zip Code: 45433
 

Record

SN02505607-W 20110722/110721004919-0b83ee66e9f5a98da7090c140c412608 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

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