The National Institute of Standards and Technology awarded a purchase order to Microchip Technology Inc. for hydrogen maser repair and refurbishment services valued at $481,353, with an award date of September 16, 2026 and ultimate completion by October 25, 2027.
Work is performed at NIST facilities. The order covers refurbishment and upgrade of six hydrogen maser units across two line items: three units of hydrogen maser refurbishment (including inspection and repair of hydrogen bulbs, RF alignment adjustment, thermal control board assessment, AC/DC power module testing and replacement, quartz oscillator inspection and replacement, ion pump replacement, and physics package inspection with replacement and testing as needed) and three units of hydrogen maser upgrade to MHM-2020 level (replacing cavity register control module and front panel control module with newest revisions to improve phase noise performance and eliminate infrequent frequency steps or glitches). The requirement stems from NIST's Time Realization and Distribution group's need to extend operational life and restore performance of aging hydrogen maser units within the ensemble that realizes UTC(NIST). The procurement originated as a sole-source notice of intent posted July 17, 2026, with a response deadline of August 3, 2026.