NIST-NOI-24-01209.pdf

Notice of Intent to Sole Source – pulsed ultraviolet laser with wavelength of 266 nm.

The United States Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division (AMD) intends to negotiate a firm fixed price purchase order, on a sole source basis, with Photonics Industries International, Inc, located at 1800 Ocean Ave, Unit A, Ronkonkoma, New York 11779-6532 for the purchase of a pulsed ultraviolet laser with wavelength of 266 nm for use in Semiconductor material characterization.

The statutory authority for this sole source acquisition is FAR 13.106-1(b) by the authority of FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

NIST will conduct the measurement science, or metrology, critical to the development of new materials, packaging, and production methods in chip manufacturing.

In particular, plans to study the power electronics and RF communications industries increasingly rely on semiconductors in the GaN/AlGaN family, where performance is limited by material defects. Key performance metrics like breakdown voltage, switching speed, gain stability, and maximum operating frequency are limited by material defects in AlGaN/GaN devices. Defects also play a role in device degradation over time. Optical characterization of defects relies on pulsed ultraviolet lasers with wavelengths shorter than the band gap equivalent wavelength, and 266 nm lasers allow characterization of materials and devices in a broad range of the AlGaN alloy family. This objective of this requirement is to carry out photoluminescence and thermoreflectance measurements of industry-supplied and NIST-fabricated semiconductor specimens to identify defect incorporation and its impact on device performance, ultimately leading to new mitigation strategies for greater reliability and performance.

The pulsed ultraviolet laser with wavelength of 266 nm shall include the components below:

a. Laser wavelength: 266 nm

b. Average power: 250 mW at 15 kHz

c. Pulse energy at 15 kHz: 2 to 16 µJ (with voltage control)

d. Voltage control of pulse energy

e. Beam mode: TEM 00 with M2 <1.5

f. Nominal beam diameter: < 0.5 mm

g. Divergence: < 2.5 mRad

h. Pulse width at 15 kHz: 10 ns

i. Pulse repetition rate: 1 Hz to 100 kHz

j. Pulse to pulse instability: < 4 % rms

k. Pointing stability < 25 µRad

l. Polarization ratio: 100:1

m. Air-cooled

n. Interfaces included: RS232, Software GUI, External TTL Triggering

o. Single shot trigger option

Research has found that only one (1) company can offer a 266nm laser that is fully compatible for the type of use intended by NIST. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 333242 – Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing, and the size standard is 1,500 employees.

No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, all responsible sources interested may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. The Government will consider responses received by 12:00 p.m.

Eastern on April 8, 2024. Inquiries will only be accepted via email to forest.crumpler@nist.gov No telephone requests will be honored.

A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement in the future.