J&A_-_Raytheon.pdf

I. Contracting Activity

This document was prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 6.3 for justification for other than full and open competition. The contracting activity is Det 8 AFRL/RVKVS, 3550 Aberdeen Ave. SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117‐5522. The agency responsible for technical requirements is AFRL/RVSWS.

II. Nature and/or description of the action being processed.

The proposed contract action is for a Sole Source Cost Plus Fixed‐Fee (CPFF) completion contract with Raytheon Vision Systems. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate's Advanced Electro‐Optic Space Sensor group is interested in advancing the state‐of‐the‐art and maintaining the scientific knowledge and industrial base associated with infrared detectors, namely Mercury Cadmium Tellurium (HgCdTe) Sensor Chip Assemblies (SCAs). The primary objective of FORTRESS is to conduct innovative development programs to identify and show proof of principle of operation of low noise, high quantum efficiency, laser hard, and radiation hardened SCAs.

III. Description of supplies/services required to meet agency needs.

The scope of the FORTRESS effort is to advance the state‐of‐the‐art and maintain the scientific knowledge and growth/ processing/characterization industrial base associated with low noise infrared SCAs used for National Strategic Space (NSS). Specifically, this includes the design, growth, and fabrication of HgCdTe ultra‐low noise and high quantum efficiency detector arrays in large physical formats. Large is defined as >7.5 cm on a side with reflective pixel pitches from 8‐18um and performance is defined as 99% noise equivalent operability with an input irradiance of 3 x 109 photons/sec‐ cm2 less than 1.3 x 1010 ph/sec‐cm2 at 130K operating temperature and exposure to 63MeV protons producing a total ionizing dose of 100KRads (Si). These SCAs must also be immune to performance degradation when exposed to laser radiation and the read‐ out integrated circuit be intrinsically hardened to prevent performance degradation when subjected to high irradiance light. The intent of this research is to leverage previous work in fully depleted HgCdTe as well as advanced ultra‐low noise read‐out integrated circuits. In order to support the needs of the National Security Space community. The current TRL requirement is 4 based on the maturation of SCAs. It is anticipated Raytheon would be able to achieve a higher TRL as they advance the state‐of‐the‐art.

At entry into the proposed effort Raytheon Vision Systems Focal Plane Array (FPA) Technology has reached TRL 9 due to the fact it has flown in space. However, due to the low volume production associated with National Security Space FPA the current TRL is at a level of 4. The proposed effort will focus on technical improvements to FPA technology maturation with an objective of reaching TRL 6. In turn there will be derivative improvements in domestic manufacturing base directly resulting from increased volume. Raytheon will intrinsically harden a read‐out integrated circuit so it is immune to damage caused by focused photons, heavy‐ions, protons, total ionizing dose radiation and grow mid‐wave infrared detector material with performance reflective of the NSS need.

Raytheon will deliver engineering prototype units of focal plane arrays and technical data on the performance of said devices.

This effort is anticipated to cost $7.5M and take 48 months to complete with delivery of SCAs and associated sub‐ components throughout the effort.

IV. Statutory authority permitting Other than Full and Open Competition.

The applicable statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for this requirement is: 10 U.S.C.

2304(c) (1), as implemented by FAR 6.302‐1 Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. According to FAR 6.302‐1(b)(1)(ii) it states:

(ii) For DoD, NASA, and the Coast Guard, unique supplies or services available from only one or a limited number of sources or from only one or a limited number of suppliers with unique capabilities.

The FORTRESS program anticipates the award of a sole source contract to Raytheon Vision Systems. Raytheon possess unique capabilities which would contribute to the FORTRESS program.

V. Demonstration that the contractor's unique qualifications or nature of the acquisition requires the use of the authority cited above (applicability of authority).

Raytheon has refined its processes to grow very low dark current short wave infrared (SWIR) through midwave infrared

(MWIR) detectors via liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) and likewise has demonstrated that they can produce similar performance material via Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) with minimal defects to avoid degraded performance when operated in a radiation environment. Raytheon has experience growing high‐quantum efficiency low dark current SWIR & MWIR detectors through LPE to deliver the performance required for an imaging application in space. Likewise with low‐noise read‐out integrated circuits that are required for FPAs there is a great deal of experience laying out the circuits such that low read‐noise circuits are delivered. Raytheon Vision Systems has the unique tooling, personnel, and over 50 years of legacy work to deliver high performance IR FPAs. Raytheon is assessed to be at a TRL level 4 and have the unique detector growth, processing, and staring/scanning ROIC design skills/infrastructure required to mature the FPA technology to a TRL of 6 through the FORTRESS effort.

IR FPAs used in national security space (NSS) applications are highly specialized and quantities are extremely small and inherently fragile. NSS applications demand the highest performance IR FPAs due to the photon starved environment they operate in, radiation species present in space, and the importance of their mission to the nation. The IR FPAs must operate continuously to work day‐ without even a small anomaly in their performance. There is no, and not projected to be, other applications of IR FPAs that is as demanding as space. As a result, this industry is nearly extinct.

Raytheon Vision Systems has designed and delivered low read noise read‐out integrated circuits that are digital and hardened from both a man‐made and natural radiation perspective. Specifically, Raytheon Vision Systems delivered the SWIR SCA to be flown on the AFRL Hyper Temporal Imaging (HTI) flight experiment, and an array of contracts that are currently operational.

AFRL Space Vehicles’ Infrared Radiation Effects Laboratory located at Kirtland AFB verified Raytheon Vision Systems SWIR and MWIR SCAs. Most recently on AFRL and other agencies contracts, Raytheon’s material has demonstrated performance reflective of what the AFRL is requesting here except the temporal variation in the quality has suffered requiring large quantities of detector growths to be conducted which has been costly for the US government. Large format ultra‐low noise read out integrated circuits fall within this same category, requiring multiple foundry spins to occur to deliver FPA hardware that meets the challenging needs of space.

The proposed FORTRESS effort will challenge Raytheon and will be of immense value to the nation by ensuring HgCdTe SWIR and MWIR detector technologies that are resilient to both man‐made and natural radiation are available for national security space system program offices in future years. The only other contractor that has exhibited ability to complete the described work shut down their business unit in 2012. Market research has revealed all other businesses in this unique niche would require significant investment and at least ten years of development to bring them up to the required TRL for this effort. The stated time and monetary investment is based off of previously executed investments in this field to mature IR SCA technology from a TRL3 to a TRL6.

Raytheon Vision Systems has in‐depth working knowledge and heritage developing/refining epitaxial growth of HgCdTe SWIR and MWIR detectors for space applications through the research accomplished over the last 4 decades using liquid phase epitaxy and molecular beam epitaxy growth techniques. In regards to read‐out integrated circuits for strategic applications, the company has successfully designed low read noise radiation hardened hardware that has flown on multiple national security space satellite systems. Raytheon has significant knowledge of employing radiation hardening by design techniques and has demonstrated successful operation in environments representative of space and as well as actual space orbits ranging from low‐earth‐orbit to high‐earth‐orbit. Raytheon also has in‐depth comprehensive knowledge of what is required to design, grow, process, and characterize SWIR and MWIR focal plane arrays for space applications and has delivered TRL/MRL infrared products at a level of 9 to open and classified programs.

Accordingly, Raytheon is the only firm capable of providing the services described in Section III.

VI. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable.

The contract specialist posted a Request for Information to the Government Point of Entry on 24 November 2015, with responses due on 09 December 2015. The Government received four responses from small and large businesses. Through responses received, it was determined Raytheon Vision Systems and Teledyne meets the starting requirement of having hardware at a TRL of 4.

The market research is summarized in paragraph VIII below.

VII. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The contracting officer will conduct Cost Analysis in accordance with FAR 15.404‐1(c). The contractor will be required to submit Certified Cost or Pricing data in accordance with FAR Part 15.403‐4. The Government technical team will analyze the contractor’s proposal and provide a detailed technical analysis. After review of the contractor’s cost proposal the Contracting Officer will determine the extent of Field Pricing Assistance required based on FAR 15.404‐2 and use any and all Forward Pricing Rate Agreements/Recommendations (as appropriate) to analyze proposed rates. A certificate of current cost and pricing data will be obtained at the conclusions of negotiations. Also, based on previously submitted cost and pricing under contracts for similar work, the contracting officer will be provided sufficient information to ensure costs to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

VIII. Description of the market research conducted and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

As described in Section VI above, market research, in accordance with FAR Part 10, the Government conducted market research to ascertain the existence of other qualified sources. The FORTRESS acquisition team conducted extensive market research in an attempt to identify potential offerors, including small businesses capable of performing the research. The following methods were used: Literature Search, SBA Dynamic Small Business Search, SBIR Award Search, Request for Information (RFI), and Program Manager's Expertise.

1. Literature Search The literature search yielded a variety of small and large businesses who were conducting research in largely unrelated technical fields. The results of each literature search, the program manager further examined those companies with applicable direct and derivative experience working in these technical areas.

2. SBA Dynamic Small Business Search The contract specialist conducted multiple searches using the SBA Dynamic Small Business Search tool under NAICS code 541712. The results from this search proved there were no small businesses which have the potential in meeting the FORTRESS program requirements.

3. SBIR Award Search When examining the small business results from this query, it became clear there were several shortfalls specific to the small business' heritage in producing HgCdTe for low‐light level applications reflective of the space need as well as read‐out integrated circuits (ROICs) with extremely low read noises. These attributes are vital for space applications. After analyzing approximately 200 small businesses and removing preliminary off‐topic results, there were several similar characteristics among the remaining contractors. These characteristics are as follows: lack of infrastructure and knowledge of growing low noise photodiodes, the design/characterization of radiation hardened ROICs, and the process of hybridizing large format focal plane arrays (FPA). Based on a thorough review by the program manager, in order to meet the FORTRESS requirements, it would require a significant cost and time to bring any of the small businesses up to the required TRL.

4. Request for Information The contract specialist posted a Request for Information to the Government Point of Entry on 24 November 2015, with responses due on 09 December 2015. The Government received four responses from small and large businesses. Based on the RFI, Raytheon Vision Systems and Teledyne are capable of meeting the minimum TRL requirement of 4. Teledyne will receive a contract to complete the design and fabrication of a long‐wave infrared staring FPA that are tolerant to radiation representative of a space environment, all of which meets the minimum TRL requirement.

5. Program Manager Knowledge of Market The program manager has professional knowledge of contractors involved in HgCdTe research and ROICs for strategic applications: AFRL has previous and current contracts with contractors; all contracts have provided detailed information which lead to the program manager's knowledge of the market. Most of the market to the PMs knowledge has no experience designing, fabricating, or characterizing ROIC capability for any application. The research required for FORTRESS will require contractors to have expert knowledge on HgCdte detectors and ROICs for strategic applications. AFRL fully understands the current state of performance and projects it would take substantial investment and at least ten years to bring contractors to the minimum FORTRESS requirement TRL of 4.

IX. Any other facts supporting the use of Other Than Full and Open Competition.

This critical capability was included in the PB 2015 Office of Secretary of Defense, Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Support Program Element.

X. List of sources, if any, that expressed interest in the acquisition.

Based on the market research, the following companies expressed interest in this acquisition.

1) Raytheon Vision Systems

2) Teledyne Technology, Inc.

3) L‐3

4) Trex Enterprise Corporation

XI. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required.

To promote competition for future efforts, AFRL/RVSW will continue to perform market research to identify other companies with the required TRL and security clearances. AFRL/RVSW most recently was selected for a phase‐I SBIR proposal topic and will be fielding this topic in FY17. This will provide means for small companies to innovate and mature their IR FPA technology. The government will also pursue at least government purpose rights to try and increase competition in the future.

XII. Certification by the Contracting Officer.

As evidenced by my signature above, I have determined this document to be accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

XIII. Certification by the technical/requirements personnel.

As evidenced by my (our) signature(s) above, I (we) certify that any supporting data contained herein, which is my (our) responsibility, is accurate and complete.