CSS_SOW_Six_Axis_UHV_Manipulation_System.docx

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS & TECHNOLOGY

Six-Axis UHV Sample Manipulation System

CHIPS SOLICITATION

RFQ NUMBER 1333ND24QNB030492

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION E: Statement of Work Page, 7-11

SECTION A: COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

A.1 COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

a. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR subpart 12.6 Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested, and a separate written solicitation document will not be issued. This solicitation is being issued under the authority of FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2024-05 published April 01, 2024, and effective May 22,2024.

b. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing which has a small business size standard of 1,000 employees, is the best fit for this acquisition. This acquisition is being competed full and open competition. All responsible, qualified business concerns can respond to this notice.

c. 1352.215-72 Inquiries (APR 2010); Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to ranae.armstrong@nist.gov . Mailed and/or faxed questions will not be accepted. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Amendments to this solicitation (if applicable) will be posted on the SAM.GOV website under the solicitation. Inquires must be received no later than three (3) days after the RFQ is posted for Government response.

A.2 Solicitation Posting

a. This solicitation is only posted on the System for Award Management (SAM) website, www.sam.gov.

b. Attachments, amendments and other associated documents as applicable will be posted to the SAM.GOV website, under the solicitation.

A.3 Contract Type

a. This is a firm fixed-price contract type.

END OF SECTION A

SECTION B: SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM) REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT

B.1 SAM Registration

a. An Offeror is required to be active and registered in the System for Award Management when submitting an offer or quotation and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation, in order to comply with the annual representations and certification requirements. If an offeror is not active and registered in SAM, their submission will not be considered for award offer and will not be reviewed the Government. The Government will review the Offeror’s SAM registration and affirm the determination of responsibility. In addition, the Government will review the currently available credit/assessment/performance reports. The Government will also review an Offeror’s SAM exclusions record. A non-responsible determination may be made if an Offeror lacks adequate financial resources or has demonstrated poor past performance.

END OF SECTION B

SECTION C: QUOTATION SUBMISSION. LATE SUBMISSIONS, & RESPONSE DEADLINE

C.1 General Instructions Quotations are expected to conform to solicitation provisions and be prepared in accordance with this section. To aid in evaluation, the quotation shall be clearly and concisely written as well as being neat, indexed (cross-indexed as appropriate) and logically assembled. All pages of each part shall be appropriately numbered and identified with the name of the offeror, the date, and the solicitation number.

C.2 Electronic Submission Only The offeror shall submit their quotation electronically to ranae.armstrong@nist.gov with a cc to Donald.collie@nist.gov, with the RFQ number referenced in the subject of the email communication, not later than 08/05/24, at 4:00pm Eastern Time. FAXED AND/OR MAILED QUOTATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Quotations must be received in the email inbox on or before the due date and time specified above. Only information received on or before the due date and time shall be considered for award. Any quotation, or part thereof, received after the due date and time, shall be deemed late and not considered for award. Offeror’s quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered in the e-mail inbox provided above.

C.3 All Offerors Shall Submit the Following:

a. For the purpose of evaluation of technical acceptability, the offeror must submit documentation that demonstrates the offered equipment/services meet the technical specifications and requirements as detailed in the Statement of Work.

b. Offerors shall provide a firm fixed-price offer for the following line items.

Line Item 0001:

Description: Six-Axis UHV Sample Manipulation System Quantity: One (1)

Line Item 0002:

Description: Stage Controller System Quantity: One (1)

Line Item 0003:

Description: Feedthrough Flange Quantity: One (1)

c. A completed version of all required solicitation provisions (see attached provisions/clauses document – required submissions highlighted in blue). THE BUY AMERICAN ACT PORTION OF THE RFQ MUST BE COMPLETED AND RETURNED WITH THE QUOTATION.

d. Any award resulting from this solicitation will contain the following statement: “The Government’s terms and conditions, identified herein, shall be the prevailing terms and conditions governing this award. In the event of a conflict between the Government’s and contractor’s terms and conditions, the Government’s terms and conditions take precedence.” If the Contractor objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the contractor shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:” [Contractor shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)]. It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to identify in their quote any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation. If the contractor does not include such a statement, the submission of a quotation in response to this solicitation will be regarded as the Contractor’s acceptance of the Government’s terms and conditions for inclusion into the resultant purchase order as prevailing.

e. Offeror shall provide an active UEI # for the System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

f. Please note that this procurement IS NOT being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If a contractor submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the contractor’s FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.

C.4 Due Date for Quotations

a. All quotations must be submitted via e-mail to Contract Specialist Ranae Armstrong at RANAE.ARMSTRONG@NIST.GOV. Submission must be received not later than 08/05/24, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A quotation shall be considered received when it is received in the electronic inbox of Ranae Armstrong not later than the date and time identified herein.

b. The clauses and provisions applicable to this solicitation can be found under Applicable Clauses & Provisions. The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at or www.acquisition.gov/far. The full text of a CAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at or https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-48/chapter-13

C.5 Late Submissions and Withdrawals of Quotes

a. Any quote received in the inbox of ranae.armstrong@nist.gov after the date and time specified for receipt of Quotes may not be considered unless it is determined by the Contracting Officer that the submitted quotation is advantageous to the Government and/or is received before a purchase order is issued.

b. Quotes can only be submitted electronically. This is also applicable to any modified quotes. The request to withdraw a quote must be submitted electronically to the contract specialist and contracting officer.

Quantity: One (1)

Line Item 0002: Stage Controller System Quantity: One (1)

Line Item 0003: Feedthrough Flange Quantity: One (1)

END OF SECTION C

SECTION D: EVALUATION CRITERIA

D.1 Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA)

D.2 Evaluation Criteria The Government intends to award a single purchase order from this RFQ to the responsible offeror whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation, is the lowest price, technically acceptable quotation. The Government reserves the right not to award a purchase order.

Technically acceptable means that the offeror provides the equipment/services as specified in the Statement of Work (attached to the SF1449). No prototypes or demonstration models will be considered. Evaluation of technical capability shall be based on the information provided in the quotation. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will evaluate whether the offeror has demonstrated that its proposed equipment/supplies meet all minimum requirements. If an offeror does not demonstrate how the equipment/services meet the required technical specifications NIST will determine the offer is not technically acceptable.

The proposed pricing will be evaluated to determine that the total price is consistent with the technical portion of the quotation and is a fair and reasonable overall price to the Government.

NIST intends to evaluate quotations and issue a purchase order based on the initial quotes received. Therefore, the offerors initial quote should contain the offerors best terms from a price and technical standpoint. NIST reserves the right to request revised quotes from, or negotiate final contract terms with, one or more, but not all, Contractors if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary.

END OF SECTION D

SECTION E: STATEMENT OF WORK

STATEMENT OF WORK

EUV Scatterometry Requesting Lab/Division: PML/division 685

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The semiconductor supply chain is global, specialized, and interconnected. Chipmakers do business with thousands of individual suppliers that provide the highly complex materials and tools used to produce semiconductors. To address the lack of full visibility into the semiconductors markets supply chain and R&D ecosystem gaps NIST will conduct the measurement science, or metrology, critical to the development of new materials, packaging, and production methods in chip manufacturing.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Sensor science division as part of the CHIPS mission of developing new metrology techniques for enabling the manufacture of advanced semiconductor devices, is developing a novel facility for Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Scatterometry located at the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Research facility (SURF III). Realization of the technique will provide semiconductor manufacturers access to new techniques for evaluating printed patterns on device wafers as well as evaluating the performance of materials in the EUV and Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV) wavelength ranges.

One requirement for this facility is a six-axis sample manipulation system. This system must operate in the UHV environment required by the SURF III facility, be highly repeatable and accurate and have a small footprint in order to fit within the available space within NIST’s sample chamber. This statement of work is for the UHV, six-axis sample manipulation system and associated hardware to operate the system in the UHV Scatterometry chamber located at SURF III on the NIST Gaithersburg campus.

SCOPE

The contractor shall deliver a quantity of one (1) 6-axis manipulation system (including stage controller system and feedthrough flange), inclusive of FOB Destination delivery terms, and 1-year warranty.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor must provide firm fixed-price quotation for 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 authorized for sale in the U.S. by the Contractor is not acceptable. All line items must be shipped in the original manufacturer’s packaging and include all original documentation and software, when applicable.

Line Item 0001:

Description: Six-axis UHV sample manipulation system Quantity: 1

1. Technical Specifications

a. Geometry and axes definitions shown in attachment titled “UHV Sample Manipulation System Specifications.pdf”

b. Individual axes specifications: See Table 1 also included in (and provided below) titled “UHV Sample Manipulation System Specifications.pdf”

c. Footprint and size:

i. System (not including cables) must fit within 100 mm diameter by 300 mm tall envelope.

ii. Sample height (center of roll axis) must lie in range of 150 mm to 195 mm from bottom of system’s base plate.

d. Load rating: System must accommodate the following:

i. Sample size: 25.4 mm dia. x 10 mm thickness, mass: 10 g

ii. Sample mount: To be designed by NIST when final vendor design is approved. Estimated size: 25.5 mm dia. x 20 mm thick, mass estimate: 27 g.

iii. Required load rating safety factor: 2

e. Sample mount compatibility: Roll stage must allow direct attachment of NIST provided sample mount with screws.

f. Mounting plates: Vendor must provide mounting plates/brackets to accommodate aligned assembly of the system’s individual stages and must:

i. Allow assembly of the system’s stages such that the rotation axes (roll, pitch, and yaw) align to a single point to which the samples front surface center will be aligned to a tolerance of ±0.05 mm in all dimensions when linear axes are at center of travel.

ii. Linear axes alignment: X,Y, & Z axes must be aligned to ± 0.5 mrad of normal to each other and the corresponding rotation axes.

iii. Include pin/pin accepting holes (g6/H7 tolerance respectively) for aligned assembly.

iv. Baseplate must attach to NIST provided pedestal. Bolt hole pattern and pin locations & tolerance provided in attachment Titled “Stage Stack hole pattern.pdf”. Pedestal can be provided to vendor for test-fitting once vendor’s final design is submitted to NIST and pedestal is fabricated.

g. Assembled system rated for Ultra-high Vacuum (UHV) defined here as a maximum allowed pressure of P = 1 x 109 mbar.

h. In-vacuum cabling:

i. 1.5 m in length

ii. Individual axes connectorized compatible with line item 0003

i. Condition and packaging: System must be shipped assembled must be cleaned and bagged for UHV service. All in-vacuum hardware & accessories must be cleaned and bagged for UHV service.

Table 1: Specifications of sample manipulation system's axes.

Line Item 0002:

Description: Stage controller system Quantity: 1 A. Technical Specifications

a. Suitable for software-controlled operation of line item 0001.

b. Operates in atmosphere.

c. Includes Windows compatible GUI software and Labview Virtual Instruments (SDK) for end user integration.

d. Controller to computer communication done via USB, Ethernet, GPIB or serial connection(s).

e. 120 VAC, 60 Hz operated Power supply included.

f. Includes power and control cabling for atmosphere side of line item 0003. Minimum length: 3 m.

g. Required communication cable(s) included.

Line Item 0003:

Description: Feedthrough flange Quantity: 1 A. Technical Specifications

a. Single 8” conflat flange with electrical feedthroughs.

b. Suitable for connection of Line item 0001 to 0002.

c. Condition and packaging: Stages and in-vacuum accessories must be cleaned and bagged for UHV service.

DELIVERABLES

DELIVERY TERMS

Delivery must be F.O.B Destination and must occur in accordance with the delivery due dates provided in the above table.

FOB Destination Means: The contractor must 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 must deliver all Line Items to:

DOC/NIST

Shipping & Receiving 100 Bureau Dr.

Attn: TBD, Building 245/C100 Gaithersburg, MD 20899

INSPECTION & ACCEPTANCE

In addition to the inspection and acceptance terms articulated in 52.212-4, 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, must 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. Functionality test:

a. NIST will power up each of the rotation stages using the included hardware and software. Operation must be confirmed. Acceptance will be granted if all components are operational.

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 COR 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 5 business 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.

WARRANTY

The contractor must warranty the entire system for a period of a minimum of 1 year after receipt of the equipment and must be in accordance with terms in FAR 52.212-4. Warranty must commence upon acceptance of the system by the Government and at a minimum all products are warranted to be free from defects for a period of one (1) year.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Advance payment is not authorized. The Contractor must invoice in arrears according to the payment schedule. The Contractor shall be paid, in accordance with Net 30-day payment terms, upon receipt and acceptance of a proper invoice. Invoices submitted prior to Government acceptance may be rejected.

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.

ATTACHMENTS

1. UHV Sample Manipulation System Specifications.pdf Stage Stack hole pattern.pdf

END OF SECTION E

SECTION F: SOLICITATION ADMINISTRATION

F.1 Amendments and Modifications

a. Changes in terms and conditions of this solicitation shall be accomplished by written amendment only.

b. Changes in terms and conditions of any resulting contract shall be accomplished only by written modification signed by the Contracting Officer.

END OF SECTION F

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