20q43 Attch 1 BNJA.pdf

FA8751-20-Q-0043

BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

Contracting Activity: Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL – Rome Research Site

AFRL/RIKO

26 Electronic Parkway Rome, NY, 13441-4514.

Purchase Request/Local Identification Number:

Program Name (and Program Element, if applicable): Connecting Quantum Capabilities Estimated Cost/Price of the Order (including options):

Type Program: Other Contracting Authority: 10 USC 2304(c)(1) Type Determination: Individual Approving Authorities:

Program Manager: ____ _____________________________05 June 2020_ S Date Signed

1st Lt, AFMC AFRL/RITD

Local Small Business Office: See DD Form 2579 for local Small Business Office approval.

APPROVED

Date Signed

CONTRACTING OFFICER, AFRL/RIK

1. Contracting Activity: AFRL/RIKO, 26 Electronic Pkwy, Rome NY 13441 Contracting Officer:

Purchase Request:

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed

The Government requires a new Firm Fixed Price (FFP) for brand name cables, attenuators, and filters in order to perform measurements during RF experiments.

3. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs

The Government requires a series of SMA cables with various attenuations; used as transmission lines for sending signals and measuring readout states as well as latching switches and DC blocks [a high-pass filter that blocks DC and allow RF to pass].

Connector bodies of all attenuators listed below are made of passivated stainless steel, with gold plated beryllium copper center conductors, and PTFE (Teflon) insulation. The SMA cables were tested from 4K to 125 degrees C (398 K) [manufactured by XMA] with SMA from m/f, with a maximum Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) = (V_max/V_min) of 1.35 as measured at 18 GHz @ 2 watts input power.

Quantity is listed in the first line in parenthesis. Unit price is listed in sub-bullet (a). with technical characteristics explicated in sub-bullet (b).

1. 2082-6041-06-CRYO: XMA, 6 dB attenuator, 18 GHz, Nichrome resistive element (24) a.

b. These are 6 dB attenuators as measured in 1dB steps from 4-6 dB.

2. 2082-6042-10-CRYO: XMA, 10 dB attenuator, 18 GHz, Nichrome resistive element (96) a.

b. These are 10 dB attenuators as measured in 1dB steps from 7-10 dB

3. 2082-6043-20-CRYO: XMA, 20 dB attenuator, 18 GHz, Nichrome, (96) a.

b. These are 20 dB attenuators as measured in 1dB steps from 11 - 12 dB

4. 2082-6044-30-CRYO: XMA, 30 dB attenuator, 18 GHz, Nichrome (24) a.

b. [Data sheet unavailable] but, given the P/N, this is a 6dB attenuator as measured in 1dB steps from 25-30 dB

5. 2082-6040-03-CRYO: XMA, 3 dB attenuator, 18 GHz, Nichrome (12) a.

b. These are 3 dB attenuators as measured in 1dB steps from

0-3 dB

6. R591762600: Radiall SP6T latching switch, 18 GHz, SMA [f] (12) a.

b. This is a Coaxial Single Pole Six Throw (SP6T) electromechanical RF relay switch with SMA ports. These are miniaturized switches with optimal SWaP.

See more details in Section 5.

TTL High Logic

TTL Low Logic

7. 2044-7002-18: XMA DC Block, 10 MHz - 18 GHz, inner & outer, SMA [m/f] (96) a.

b. DC Block has a blocking capacitor that operates at a given frequency. If is used to filter out unwanted DC signals, while allowing AC drive signals to pass through. These improve SNR, eliminate ground loops, and provide isolation in test setups.

See more details in Section 5.

4. Authority Permitting a Brand Name

10 USC 2304(c)(1) Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy the agency requirement.

5. Applicability of Authority

SP6T Latching Switch RADIALL R591762600 (this document)

Pasternack PE71S6331 Fairview Microwave

FMSW6372

Operating Frequency 26.5 GHz 20 GHz 18 GHz

Guaranteed Life 10 million cycles 10 million cycles 5 million cycles

Weight - 266.26 grams 183.7 grams

Package Type - Connectorized Connectorized

Control Connector Double Row Solder Pins 16 pin HE10 Male Connector

15 Pin D-Sub

RF Connector Type SMA Female SMA female SMA Female

Latching Type Separated when reset - -

Operating Temperature - - -

Cable Impedance 60 Ohms @ 200mA - -

VSWR(frequency 1.60 1.70 1.4 dependent)

Maximum Power 40 W 70W 60 W (CW)

Connector Impedance 50 Ohm 50 Ohm 50 Ohm

DC Actuator Control Voltage

12 V 24V 28 V

Actuating Current 200 mA 200 mA 90 mA

Switching Speed (time) - 15 ms 20 ms

Insertion Loss (IL) 0.60 dB 0.6 dB 0.15 0.4 dB

Minimum Isolation 45 dB 80 dB 80 dB

Unit Price ~$1k ~$5k ~$2k

DC Block XMA 2044-7002-18 (this document)

Pasternack PE8212 Fairview Microwave SD3258

MiniCircuits BLK- 18W-S+

Operating Frequency

10 MHz – 18GHz 10 MHz – 18 GHz 10 MHz – 18 GHz 10 MHz – 18 GHz

Insertion Loss (max)

0.6 dB 0.5 dB 1.25 dB 0.75 dB

VSWR_max 1.35 1.35 1.35 1.30

DC Voltage Rating

200 V 200 V 200 V 200 V

Impedance 50 Ohm 50 Ohm 50 Ohm 50 Ohm

Temperature Range (deg C)

Connectors Passivated SS Passivated SS Passivated SS -

Housing High Temperature Plastic

PTFE Plastic -

Contact Gold Plated Beryillium Copper

Gold Plated Beryillium Copper

Gold Plated Beryillium Copper

Pin Length (in)

1.30 ± 0.30 M: mil-std-348 f: mil-std-348

Unit Price $138.61 ~$210 ~$160 $29.45

The minicircuits DC block VSWR was calculated from the return loss (RL) using the formula = 20 log

Where = reflection coefficient. (gamma). We can then use gamma to find = .

Return losses are provided here:

https://www.minicircuits.com/pages/s-params/BLK-18W-S+_VIEW.pdf The worst RL reported is at 50 MHz for the SMA male connector, RL=66.28.

This yields a VSWR of ~1.001 The best RL reported is at 10.5 GHz for the SMA female connector, RL=17.69.

This yields a VSWR of ~1.300

The brand name product to be acquired is essential to the Government’s requirements and other companies’ products do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet AFRL/RITQ needs without the Government experiencing substantial duplication of cost and effort. Wiring the numerous connections associated with each of these is time consuming and extremely costly – for example, the installation of components in each fridge typically takes months FTE for a skilled researcher and there are three refrigerators that will require installation. Utilization of an alternative untested brand, could therefore have the potential to cause delays of at least months when taking into consideration the time to install the components and if they fail, time to procure new equipment. It is therefore essential that the components above that the Government plans install, are proven solutions that will work at cryogenic temperatures. The required equipment listed above is the only known manufacturer capable of fulfilling this need. Without this particular brand, the Government could incur significant costs not expected to be recovered through competition and unacceptable delays due if not procured due to the potential for part failure if another brand were tested. The cost is estimated to be up to to troubleshoot and fix or replace the malfunctioning component(s) on all three refrigerators. The required components specified above are manufactured in a manner that leads to reliable and robust operation in cryogenic environments similar to the fridges for the Government’s experiments. Moreover, this brand has been proven to provide a robust, reliable, and successful solution by numerous colleagues and institutions throughout the field of superconducting quantum information processing for the identical purpose in which it will be used by RITQ. Hence the associated risk and duplication of cost (resulting from delays to the experiment and labor associated with part failure) with purchasing the Radiall and XMA components is low as it is a proven source and is therefore the only known source capable of fulfilling the Government’s requirement.

6. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination by the Contracting Officer

The cost will be determined fair and reasonable through competition.

7. Description of Market Research Conducted Among All Awardees

RIT investigated several other companies to determine if an alternative brand would be able to fulfill the Government’s requirements. They include MiniCircuits, Pasternack, Fairview Microwave, NARDA-MITEQ (L3 Harris), Keysight, and Midwest Microwave. None of the aforementioned companies possess all of the capabilities of the requested brand name manufacturer. In addition, none of the possible alternative brands investigated are proven solutions for similar experiments amongst the Government’s colleagues.

8. Other Facts Supporting the Justification

None

9. List of Any Awardee That Expressed Interest in the Acquisition

East Coast Microwave

10. Actions to Remove/Overcome Barriers to Increasing Fair Opportunity

The end-user will continue to perform market surveys in order to identify opportunities to maximize competition in potential future requirements.

11. Contracting Officer’s Certification

The contracting officer’s signature on the signature page evidences that he/she has determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of his/her knowledge and belief.

12. Technical/Requirements Personnel’s Certification

As evidenced by their signatures on the Coordination and Approval Document, the technical and/or requirements personnel have certified that any supporting data contained herein, which is their responsibility, is both accurate and complete.