Attachment 1 - SOW.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK

Title: Atomic Force Microscope for use in a Scanning Electron Microscope

Lab: Materials Measurement Laboratory, Applied Chemicals and Materials Division (647)

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

As part of the CHIPS Act, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are engaged in metrology research and development to promote innovation and industrial competitiveness in U.S. semiconductor device manufacturing. NIST has identified seven Grand Challenges in metrology research and development that require critical attention. As part of efforts to advance metrology tools and measurement science for Metrology for Materials Purity, Properties, and Provenance (Grand Challenge 1), NIST requires instruments for measurement of semiconductor microelectronic devices and their constituent materials.

Pursuant to the CHIPS mission, the Grand Challenge 1 Program’s strategy is to develop measurement technologies, properties data, and standards focused on defect and contaminant identification to support uniform materials quality and traceability across the supply chain. One effort within this program aims to evaluate two-dimensional and wide bandgap materials to improve device reliability. This work is led by NIST’s Applied Chemicals and Materials Division, which characterizes and measures properties and structures relevant to industrially important materials.

As part of this program to characterize two-dimensional and wide bandgap materials, NIST requires an atomic force microscope (AFM) capable of full operation inside and outside a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and that can provide mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical, and magnetic property measurements.

II. PURPOSE

The requested equipment comprises a compact atomic force microscope (AFM) that can be used inside and outside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for the CHIPS Metrology 1.01 project “Evaluation of 2D and Wide Band Gap Material Quality: Towards Device Reliability.” This equipment will enable live correlative imaging of 2-dimensional (2D) materials/devices in concert with numerous pertinent analytical modes at single- to sub-nanometer spatial resolution as the materials/devices degrade under electronic and other applied stresses. The equipment will be used to quantify material/device performance, inform optimization efforts from material synthesis methods to device fabrication and performance.

This equipment is critical to meeting the project objectives by providing information about devices under test including device failure initiation and progression as well as simultaneous changes in electrical and mechanical performance that can reveal failure mechanism root causes. This combined SEM-AFM capability will enable grain orientation of 2D materials to be quantified without removing the material from a substrate (i.e., in a nondestructive manner), which is highly desirable throughout the semiconductor R&D industry. Moreover, when combined, these techniques have the potential to significantly streamline material/device fabrication, optimization, and reliability measurements for next generation 2D materials-based devices. It is critical that this purchase occur as soon as possible due to our collaboration with Intel R&D who are beginning to implement device optimization strategies, one of which involves grain orientation-based transport properties.

The work required under this contract is to supply, install, and provide introductory training to users on a compact AFM for use in an SEM for the Applied Chemicals and Materials Division. The Contractor shall deliver AFM instrumentation capable of being used both inside and outside an SEM, that includes all appropriate electrical interconnects and cabling, vacuum feedthroughs, control units, SEM adapter plate(s), probe holders and probes for measuring mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical, and magnetic properties, software module activations to enable those measurements, an enclosure with camera and cabling to enable AFM measurements outside an SEM, inclusive of FOB destination delivery, installation, warranty and training, and option line items.

III. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide a system that meets all technical specifications identified below. All items must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. Experimental, prototype, or custom items will not be considered. The use of “gray market” components are not acceptable. All line items shall be shipped in the original manufacturer’s packaging and include all original documentation and software, when applicable.

Line Item 0001:

Description: Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) Quantity: 1 A. Technical Specifications

a. An atomic force microscope scan head capable of operating in an SEM vacuum chamber and at atmospheric pressure, with automatic multidimensional correlative imaging enabling simultaneous acquisition of AFM and SEM data. The AFM measuring head shall be compatible with, and interchangeable among SEMs from different vendors (as specified below) without SEM modification. The AFM shall be capable of operational modes that provide mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical, and magnetic property measurements as described below. Additional specifications include:

i. AFM scan range shall be larger than (x, y, z) = (75, 75, 10) mm for open and closed loop operation modes with spatial resolution at least (x, y, z) = (0.2, 0.2, 0.05) nm.

ii. Shall accommodate samples having dimensions up to (x, y) = (50, 50) mm and height z = 8 mm.

iii. Shall include electrical feedthroughs for:

1. Zeiss Gemini 300 VP SEM and

2. Thermo Fisher Scios 2 Dual Beam FIB-SEM

iv. Shall include SEM stage adaptors for:

1. Zeiss Gemini 300 VP SEM and

2. Thermo Fisher Scios 2 Dual Beam FIB-SEM

v. Probe holder(s) for all measurement modes compatible with the instrument described in this SoW.

vi. Tools required to mount and dismount the scan head from SEM stage(s).

b. A Control Unit to operate the AFM scan head and interface with the user and SEM:

i. Power supply shall be configured for 110 V operation.

ii. Shall enable 125 MHz minimum sampling frequency

iii. Shall provide two (2) lock-in amplifiers with DC range up to 2 MHz

iv. Shall provide at least five (5) auxiliary analog input channels.

v. Shall provide analog signal outputs for preamplifier, sample bias, current.

vi. Shall include port for communication with PC via Ethernet LAN.

vii. Control unit shall be accessible and programmable through ethernet connection.

viii. Control software shall be included for all standard and optional AFM modes included in these specifications.

ix. Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) / Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM) module shall be activated.

x. Scanning Spreading Resistance Microscopy module shall be activated.

xi. Shall include software user interface for controlling measurement parameters and measurements, drift correction, basic post-processing of acquired data.

c. Accessories

i. An enclosure for using the AFM scan head at ambient pressure outside the SEM that also enables using the AFM in various controlled gas atmospheres (i.e., N2, Ar, etc.). The enclosure shall include passive mechanical damping.

ii. A digital camera with a stand to enable locating sample features of interest to be analyzed by the AFM in the ambient pressure enclosure indicated above.

iii. Cable adapter and appropriate cabling for use with the ambient pressure enclosure to connect the scan head to the controller.

iv. A sample rotation module that enables multiple samples to be mounted simultaneously and rotated into position for analysis with the scan head.

v. The following test reference samples shall be included:

1. A test reference sample for calibration of KPFM mode (i.e., a sample consisting of arrays of aluminum and gold lines of different pitch deposited on oxide-covered silicon).

2. A test reference sample for calibration/optimization of PFM mode.

3. A test reference sample for phase imaging, energy dissipation, and F-z modes.

4. A test reference sample for magnetic force microscopy (MFM)

5. Calibration grating for topography and image correlation.

vi. Probe sets including

1. Ten (10) sets (1 set = 10 probes) of Akiyama self-sensing and self-activating probes. Shall be compatible with the scan head and include appropriate probe holder.

2. Ten (10) sets (1 set = 10 probes) of probes for conductive AFM measurements. Shall be compatible with the scan head and include appropriate probe holder for conductive AFM measurements.

3. Ten (10) sets (1 set = 6 probes) of piezo-resistive sensing active probes for piezo-resistance AFM measurements. Shall be compatible with the scan head and include appropriate holder for PFM measurements.

4. Ten (10) sets (1 set = 10 probes) of probes for magnetic force microscopy (MFM) measurements. Shall be compatible with the scan head and include appropriate holder for MFM measurements.

d. Training

i. The contractor shall provide basic training comprising one and a half (1) day of initial training that includes device installation, probe and sample preparation, software setup, basic measurements of tapping mode topography, energy dissipation, AFM-SEM image correlation

ii. The contractor shall provide a half day (0.5 day) training on the conductive AFM (cAFM) operation mode including methods used to record and display current-voltage (I-V) measurements/curves.

e. Acceptance

i. Site acceptance: At the NIST site the contractor shall acquire data with each module on contractor supplied test specimens.

ii. The contractor shall provide personnel that meet government requirements to be on site for site acceptance.

f. Safety

i. All components supplied by the contractor shall meet industry standards for safety, including those related to electrical components, mechanical components, and optical components.

Line Item 0002: Warranty The contractor shall warranty the entire system for a period of a minimum of 1 year and shall be in accordance with terms in FAR 52.212-4. Warranty shall commence upon acceptance of the system by the Government and at a minimum shall include return-to-vendor service. Warranty does not apply to consumable parts or normal wear and tear.

IV. SCHEDULE OF DELIVERABLES

Place of Delivery

Standards of Acceptance: The NIST POC or COR shall review all the above deliverables and respond with an acceptance or request for revision email to the Contractor Point of Contact (POC) within 30 days of receipt of deliverable. This section applies to deliverables which must be reviewed and approved for acceptances (e.g., draft plans, drawings, etc.)

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Regular Business Hours Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, (9:00 am to 5:00 pm) Mountain Time, excluding Federal holidays and NIST closures.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance shall be five (5) months from ARO.

V. DELIVERY TERMS

Delivery shall be F.O.B Destination (or equivalent incoterms, such as DDP) and shall occur in accordance with the delivery due dates provided in the below table.

FOB Destination means: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.

The contractor shall deliver all Line Items to:

National Institute of Standards and Technology 325 Broadway Attn: Jason Holm Boulder, CO 80305

VI. INSTALLATION

The system shall be installed by the Contractor and meet contract specifications no later than 30 days after delivery. Installation, at a minimum, shall include uncrating/unpackaging of all equipment, rigging, set-up and hook-up of the system, demonstration of all specifications, and removal of trash. Onsite installation and demonstration shall be done at NIST, Boulder, CO- Building 81. All installation requirements are identified below:

VII. TRAINING

The contractor shall conduct training session for up to five (5) users at NIST. The training shall provide a thorough demonstration of all system/solution functions, maintenance, data administration, and basic troubleshooting. The training may be completed at NIST Monday – Friday during the operating hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM MST immediately after installation and demonstration of specifications and must be completed no later than one (1) month after installation. Further training requirements are identified below:

a. The training shall include an overview of all safety features of the instrument and safe operating procedures.

VIII. INSPECTION & ACCEPTANCE

In addition to the inspection and acceptance terms articulated in the specific FAR clause that allows the Government reserves the right to perform such performance tests and evaluations as defined below to verify specified system performance. Such tests and evaluations, if performed, shall be conducted within the environment that the system is to be operated. The Contractor has the right to be present during the tests and evaluations, if performed, at the Contractor’s expense.

Performance Tests:

1. Demonstration of each measurement mode/module with sample provided by NIST.

NIST may choose at its discretion to forego this part of acceptance testing.

A visual inspection of the equipment will be performed by the NIST POC to identify surface defects or any form of indication that any equipment was damaged during transport to NIST. The Government shall have sole discretion to require repair or replacement of damaged and/or nonconforming supplies at no cost to the Government. The Government at any time prior to acceptance shall reject the equipment due to defects and/or nonconformance. The vendor is responsible for latent defects discovered any time after final inspection. However, the extent of its liability shall be prorated over the useful life of the equipment.

Ownership of the equipment shall transfer to NIST upon acceptance by the Government.

The Government will test, inspect, and accept or reject the equipment within 30 days of the receipt of the equipment unless otherwise indicated above. The Government reserves the right to conduct quality assurance testing to confirm that a given instrument(s) meets the manufacturer’s and/or the Government’s performance specifications. It is anticipated that the equipment will meet all manufacturer’s specifications and/or the Government’s performance specifications identified in the most recent operations and maintenance manual for each piece of equipment and/or in this document.

IX. WARRANTY

The contractor shall warranty the entire system for a period of a minimum of one (1) year after receipt of the equipment and shall be in accordance with terms in FAR 52.212-4. Warranty shall commence upon acceptance of the system by the Government and at a minimum shall include the following:

X. PAYMENT SCHEDULE

The Contractor will be paid, in accordance with the payments clause in the contract and as otherwise noted in this document, upon receipt of a proper invoice.

1. 100% after installation and acceptance by the POC of fully installed system, AND

2. After the successful completion of the testing requirements set forth in this document under section set forth in this document, AND

3. After successful demonstration by the instrumentation that it performs in accordance with the requirements set forth in this document.

NOTE: Partial shipments and partial invoices will not be accepted, unless otherwise requested and accepted by the Contracting Officer prior to award offer. Proposed payment schedules shall be submitted with vendor’s response to the RFQ for consideration.

XI. CYBERSECURITY PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS

NIST seeks a solution that provides security and privacy protection consistent with requirements defined by applicable federal laws, regulations, policies, and standards (e.g., the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), OMB Circular A-130, and FIPS Publication 200). The solution provider (including subcontractors) may meet these requirements through various means, including but not limited to FedRAMP authorization, current third-party assessments (e.g., SSAE, PCI), and/or responses to NIST special publication control set SP 800-171.

Minimally Acceptable Controls

· System security plan describing physical, technical, and administrative controls implemented to protect systems and sensitive personally identifiable information (SPII).

· IT management processes to establish and manage secure configuration baselines including routine patching for all operating systems and applications.

· Access to SPII is restricted to those with a need to know. Personnel with access to SPII have background investigations performed (e.g. criminal, financial etc.), and are trained on secure handling of SPII.

· Access Controls for SPII meet or exceed industry best practices for access and identification control including, but not limited to, connectivity to servers and databases, multi-factor authentication for remote accesses for administration, secure configurations for any devices accessing the system, and strong physical security for any place where the data is accessed.

· The solution supports multifactor authentication for users and/or supports integration with customer federation services for Single-Sign capability.

· Processes for scanning on a continual basis for vulnerabilities and proper configurations for all aspects of the system, as well as processes for timely mitigation of findings.

· Auditing and Incident Response processes including customer notification of suspected or actual incidents and logging with sufficient information to perform forensics on any incident. Processes for notifying and providing appropriate mitigations, including but not limited to credit monitoring services, for subsidy applicants in the event of suspected or actual incidents.

· SPII is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2 or better and encrypted at rest in all places the SPII is stored. All encryption algorithms and modules are FIPS 140-2/140-3 validated.

If unable to meet any of the requirements listed above, the solution provider may provide details of mitigations or alternative protections in place to ensure the appropriate handling and protection of SPII.

If the solution provider provides services to other Federal agencies, provide a general description of the security risk management approach and client point of contact.

XII. REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

Safety: The Contractor employee must be responsible for knowing and complying with all installation safety prevention regulations. Such regulations include, but are not limited to, general safety, fire prevention, and waste disposal.

Security: NIST is a restricted campus. An identification badge is required for access for entry into buildings and is shown to the armed Security Police when entering the campus.

Identification Badges: Contractor employees must comply with NIST identification and access requirements. Each Contractor employee must wear a visible identification badge provided by the NIST Security Office.

Vehicle Registration: All Contractor employees must register their vehicles with the NIST Security Office to gain access to the campus. A valid driver’s license, Government-furnished civilian ID, proof of insurance and current registration must be presented to the NIST Security Office, at which time a NIST vehicle pass will be issued. The pass must be displayed on the vehicle in accordance with NIST Security Office instructions.

Media Inquiries: The Contractor shall not respond to any media inquiries. Any inquiries from the media shall be immediately relayed to the NIST COR and/or Contracting Officer (CO). There shall be no interviews, comments, or any other response without the knowledge and approval of the NIST COR or Designated Government Official.

2 | Page image1.jpeg