459225 - LEAP -RFI.pdf

Request for Information

Local Electrode Atom Probe Instrument

Overview

Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) supports the Nanoscale Science Research Center Recapitalization (NSRC-Recap) Project, which is adding new and updated capabilities to the Department of Energy’s nanoscience infrastructure. As part of the work, BSA is potentially seeking to acquire a local electrode atom probe (LEAP) instrument for conducting atom probe tomography (APT) experiments for the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL.)

General

The LEAP is a direct project magnification-based microscope equipped with a time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer. The LEAP utilizes field evaporation to strip atoms from a specimen’s surface and an electrostatic lens to project those atoms onto a 2D detector. The atoms are stripped layer by layer such that a computer algorithm can be used to reconstruct the atom positions in 3D space with sub-nm resolution. A voltage or laser pulse initiates an ion’s escape from the material surface and the ion flies a given distance to the detector such that the TOF is calculated. The LEAP will be used to image the 3D elemental distributions in a variety of materials including semi-conductors, insulators, battery materials, metals, oxides, minerals, ceramics, and more.

1. Instrument Configuration

1.1 Advanced reflection ion-optic design for improved mass resolution

1.2 Local electrode design to provide for a high field-of-view and capability to operate with microtips on coupons

1.2 258 nm (4.8 eV) wavelength laser pulsing technology providing for enhanced specimen yields

1.3 Main microscope platform and instrument electronics rack

1.4 Integrated instrument control station (desk, PC, and monitors)

1.5 Closed cycle cryogenic cooling system to cool the specimen stage to <30K

1.6 Facilities rack housing the cryogenic cooling system compressor and the vacuum roughing pumps

1.7 Vertical and horizontal transfer rods for specimen loading

1.8 Laser pulsing, voltage pulsing, and (laser + voltage) pulsing modes for high signal to noise ratio data collection

2. Vacuum

The LEAP consists of three vacuum chambers including a load lock, buffer, and analysis chambers.

2.1 The load lock shall be pumped by a turbo molecular pump backed by a diaphragm pump. The load lock shall pump to < 𝟏𝟏.𝟎𝟎 × 𝟏𝟏𝟎𝟎−𝟓𝟓 Torr in ≤ 5 minutes.

2.2 The buffer chamber shall be pumped by a turbo molecular pump backed by a diaphragm pump.

The buffer chamber shall have a base pressure of < 𝟏𝟏.𝟎𝟎 × 𝟏𝟏𝟎𝟎−𝟖𝟖 Torr.

2.3 The analysis chamber shall be pumped by an ion pump and a Ti sublimation pump. The analysis chamber shall have a base pressure of < 𝟏𝟏.𝟎𝟎 × 𝟏𝟏𝟎𝟎−𝟏𝟏𝟎𝟎 Torr.

3. Sample navigation

3-axes motorized x-y-z for positioning the specimen at the optimal position with respect to the local electrode shall be included. The motorized motion in x, y, and z shall have a maximum range of 10 mm. Minimum step size is submicron.

4. Laser System

4.1 The laser system shall have a 1030 nm fundamental wavelength source delivering 4th harmonic beam with a maximum laser power 7.5W at 2000 kHz

4.2 The laser pulse shall have a duration of <3 picoseconds

4.3 The laser pulse energy shall range from 0.005 pJ to 300 pJ

4.4 The laser spot size shall be < 1 micrometer effective, as determined from the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the evaporation contour plot.

4.5 Laser positioning system with automatic specimen tracking to account for specimen drift during an APT experiment shall be included.

4.6 Automatic laser power adjustment shall be included to maintain a constant mass to charge ratio for any ion of choice to ensure the specimen is kept at a constant field during the APT experiment.

5. Ion Detector

5.1 The detector shall have >80% open area ratio (OAR) microchannel plate.

5.2 The detector shall have three cross delay lines rotated at 0, 45, and 90 degrees to capture the XY ion positions with maximum accuracy and limited loss from multiple ion hits.

5.3 The detector shall have >50% total detection efficiency due to losses from the reflectron lens mesh.

6. Voltage System

6.1 The bias between the specimen and local electrode shall reach a maximum value of at least 15 kV

6.2 The voltage pulser shall have a pulse duration of 1 ns.

6.3 The maximum voltage pulse amplitude shall exceed 2 kV.

7 Mass Resolving Power

The mass resolving power for voltage and laser pulsing modes shall have a FWHM of 𝑚𝑚 ∆𝑚𝑚

≥ 1000.

Questions:

1. If certain requirements cannot be met, please indicate what can be achieved and demonstrated.

2. Will the system be configured to operate as a class 1 laser system?

3. Can you provide a generic installation guide, including a sample instrument footprint, for the proposed equipment?

4. Would the system be manufactured in the United States? If so, does it meet the definition of domestic end product as defined at FAR 25.101(a). If not, what is the country of origin of the product?

5. Do you offer NRTL certification?

6. Please specify if the company’s proposed product is considered a commercial product as defined in FAR 2.101?

7. Is your company registered in SAM.gov? If so, please provide company Unique Entity Identification (UEI) Number.

8. What kind of warranty or servicing plan products do you offer?

9. Describe consumables required for this effort.

Response Requested Please provide a statement of capabilities as it pertains to meeting the above specifications and answers to the questions stated above.