Attachment 1 - Statement of Work.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

Title: DD Neutron Generator

Lab: 682.03

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Purity evaluations of high-purity bulk materials used in chips manufacturing are calibrated against reference materials that are often not matrix-matched to the materials under test. In other words, differences in the compositions of the calibrants and the samples being analyzed can result in large uncertainties for individual contaminants in the high-purity sample, and less than optimal uncertainties in the purity assay itself.

Moreover, such purity evaluations are conducted by contract laboratories because few chips manufacturers have their own well-developed capabilities. This results in delays and inefficiencies when chips manufacturers are obtaining their source materials, and especially when new sources need to be qualified due to supply chain disruptions. High purity implies low impurity, and trace level impurities in the source material can have detrimental impacts on the resulting product as the design features pushing toward nanometer scale.

For solid surfaces, there are recognized needs for better metrological methods and reference materials to support measurements of various elements in the near surface regions, as part of process development and control. U.S industry has expressed to us their need for NIST SRMs, including those with assigned compositional values for hydrogen, boron, and other elements near surfaces. Advanced metrology and new SRMs of these types should enable U.S. industry to innovate for chips manufacturing in the coming years.

Industry has long relied upon the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) as a collaborator for their most important measurement problems. Because these nuclear techniques are non-destructive and matrix independent, overcoming the “limit of detection limit” will bring immense benefit to the CHIPS measurement needs.

Generator-based facilities, afforded through the proposed research, has the advantage of more agile shielding design and flexible control of neutron delivery tailored to a specific measurement geometry. With novel detection method and advanced data analytics, this project will result in enhanced sensitivity and better detection limits.

Expertise gained in neutron generator-based measurement techniques afforded through the proposed research will also benefit the reactor-based measurements efforts, ultimately pushing the PGAA detection limit to levels that are useful to the U.S.

semiconductor industry. Importantly, these nuclear techniques are non-destructive and matrix independent, and PGAA is especially sensitive for measurements of hydrogen in bulk materials. Coupled with the high neutron flux when the reactor returns to operation, these techniques will provide powerful measurement capabilities not seen anywhere else in the world – and available to U.S. industry within our own borders.

The Neutron Physics Group, part of the Radiation Physics Division, has expertise in neutron generator operation, measurements, and calibrations, as well as expertise in neutron physics generally. The Chemical Sciences Division has expertise in PGAA. A previous collaboration between the two showed the promise of using a portable neutron

2 | P a g e generator to perform PGAA. However, the existing deuterium-deuterium (DD) neutron generator is nearing the end of its lifetime and replacement tubes are no longer available. A new DD generator with a similar or greater neutron flux and similar footprint are required to continue the program of developing neutron generator-based PGAA.

II. PURPOSE

The Neutron Physics group, working together with the Chemical Sciences Division, requires the acquisition of a portable neutron generator based on the deuterium-deuterium reaction (a DD neutron generator). This neutron generator will be used to develop a portable, turn-key, neutron generator-based Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) set-up for analyzing the composition of materials. This is essential to the nuclear component of our CHIPS project focused on measuring purity and contaminants in solid materials for semiconductor device manufacturing. PGAA is particularly valuable for measuring hydrogen content, an element that is ubiquitous in semiconductor devices either as a contaminant or by deliberate introduction as a pacifying barrier. The role of hydrogen is poorly understood within semiconductor devices, and therefore quantitative in-situ measurement through PGAA is highly desirable. Improvements developed in this CHIPS project will provide world-leading measurement capabilities and enable deployment of hydrogen abundance research grade test materials (RGTM), and ultimately standard reference materials (SRM), filling a need within the semiconductor industry.

The neutron generator is critical for the CHIPS project because it is a fundamental component of the PGAA system we are developing to analyze hydrogen abundance and other material contaminants in semiconductor device materials. Without this generator we will be unable to meet the milestones and deliverables related to PGAA and this in turn will hinder our ability to meet our goals and milestones related to reference material development. Awarding this procurement within this Fiscal Year is necessary to maintain project timelines and meet project milestones; furthermore, the potentially long lead time for these generators could further delay the project if not awarded this year.

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: Portable DD Neutron Generator Quantity: 1

A. Technical Specifications

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a. Neutron Generator operates according to the deuterium-deuterium (DD) reaction.

b. Neutron output equal to or greater than 5e6 /s.

c. Neutron generator tube must be sealed (i.e. must not be continuously pumped and must not require an on-going source of deuterium gas).

d. Neutron generator tube lifetime must be greater than 1000 hours at maximum neutron output.

e. Must be able to operate in continuous and pulsed mode.

f. Pulsed mode duty cycle must be at least 5 % - 90 %.

g. Must be portable, and able to be hand-carried by one person

h. Neutron generator tube/head dimensions must not exceed 4 inches diameter by 20 inches length

i. Control unit dimensions must not exceed 10 inches width by 12 inches length by 6 inches height

j. Must be air-cooled

k. Must be able to operate on standard 120 V/60 Hz US power

l. Must be able to be operated/controlled remotely at a distance of 75 ft

m. Must include control software for operation

n. Must include red-flashing warning light to indicate operation

o. Must have ability to connect to facility interlock

p. Must include all cables and connectors required to connect generator head to control unit and to connect control unit to user-supplied PC for operation.

IV. SCHEDULE OF DELIVERABLES

Deliverable

Number Description Quantity Due Date

Place of Delivery 1 DD Neutron

Generator including all control electronics and required cabling as specified in Line Item 0001

1 8 months NIST Gaithersburg Building 245

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 3 weeks of receipt of deliverable.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

NIST Gaithersburg Building 245

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Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Regular Business Hours:

Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, (revise as applicable 8:00 am to 5:00 pm) Eastern Time, excluding Federal holidays and NIST closures. (Add applicable language if applicable)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

8 months 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 Shipping and Receiving 100 Bureau Drive, Building 245 Gaithersburg, MD 20899

VI. TRAINING

The contractor shall conduct training session for up to 2 users. The training shall provide a thorough demonstration of all system/solution functions, maintenance, data administration, and basic troubleshooting. The training may be completed remotely at a mutually agreeable time no later than 10 working days after delivery.

VII. 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:

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1. Generator will be operated across its full range of settings to check for stable operation

2. Generator will be operated at maximum settings to determine if neutron output meets specifications

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 15 working 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.

VIII. WARRANTY

The contractor shall warranty the entire system for a period of a minimum of 12 months or 500 operating hours 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:

IX. 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

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.