NIST-SS23-CHIPS-0001.docx

NIST-SS23-CHIPS-0001

6640 / 334516

Primary POC: Forest Crumpler (forest.crumpler@nist.gov) Secondary POC: Tracy Retterer (tracy.retterer@nist.gov)

Title: Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB/SEM) System

BACKGROUND

NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a commercial item solution that meets or exceeds the following draft minimum specifications:

1. Ion Beam Related Characteristics

1.1. Focused ion beam column with Ga liquid metal ion source, liquid metal alloy ion source, or Plasma source.

1.2. If a Ga LMIS,

1.2.1. Maximum ion accelerating voltage of 30 kilovolts (kV) or higher.

1.2.2. Minimum ion accelerating voltage of 500 volts (V) or lower.

1.2.3. Minimum ion probe current of 10 picoamp (pA) or lower.

1.2.4. Maximum ion probe current of 50 nanoamp (nA) or higher.

1.2.5. Minimum ion source life of at least 1000 microamp hours.

1.2.6. Minimum ion beam resolution(s) (selective edge method):

1.2.6.1. at 30 kV: 5 nanometers (nm) or better

1.2.6.2. at 500 V: 750 nm or better

1.3. If a plasma FIB,

1.3.1. Maximum ion accelerating voltage of 30 kilovolts (kV) or higher.

1.3.2. Minimum ion accelerating voltage of 500 volts (V) or lower.

1.3.3. Minimum ion probe current of 10 picoamp (pA) or lower.

1.3.4. Maximum ion probe current of 2 microamp (uA) or higher.

1.3.5. Minimum ion source life of at least 1000 microamp hours.

1.3.6. Minimum ion beam resolution(s) (selective edge method):

1.3.6.1. at 30kV: 25 nanometers (nm) or better

1.3.7. Provide information about available ion species and their beam characteristics.

1.4. If a non-Gallium focused ion source, for each ion source,

1.4.1. Provide ion accelerating voltage ranges.

1.4.2. Provide ion probe current range.

1.4.3. Provide ion beam resolutions and specify the method used to determine the resolution.

1.5. Gas injection system (GIS) for deposition of Tungsten (W), Platinum (Pt), Carbon (C), Silica (SiOx), and others; or external gas flow of, for example, Water (H2O), Carbon Tetrafluoride (CF4), or Xenon Difluoride (XeF2). GIS shall accommodate at least three different precursor materials.

1.6. Micromanipulator system for specimen prep. Provide information on different micromanipulator options.

1.7. Patterning capabilities with a suite of pre-defined patterns.

1.8. Ability to use a stream file, or similar, to control the ion beam.

1.9. Beam blanker

2. Electron Beam Related Characteristics

2.1. High-stability field-emission electron emitter.

2.2. Maximum electron accelerating voltage of 30 kV.

2.3. Minimum electron accelerating voltage of 350 V or lower.

2.4. Minimum electron probe current of 10 pA or lower.

2.5. Maximum electron probe current of 100 nA or higher.

2.6. Minimum resolution(s):

2.6.1. at 30kV: at least one (1) nm or better (in Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) mode)

2.6.2. at 15kV: at least one (1) nm or better

2.6.3. at 1kV: at least two (2) nm or better

2.7. Beam deceleration or similar capability allowing landing energies of 100 electron-volts (eV) or lower.

2.8. Maximum field-of-view of two (2) millimeters (mm) or higher.

2.9. Beam blanker

2.10. Integrated current measurement

2.11. Scan features include at a minimum: line averaging, scan interlacing, drift-compensated frame integration, standard frame integration, and frame averaging capabilities.

2.12. Simultaneous acquisition from two or more detectors. Provide details on maximum number of simultaneous signal acquisition and whether these signals can be mixed on-the fly.

2.13. Minimum image bit depth of 8 bit. Higher is preferred.

3. Specimen Chamber and Stage Related Characteristics

3.1. Large chamber with

3.1.1. minimum width x depth dimensions of 300 mm x 300 mm.

3.1.2. Sample chamber with the ability to accommodate several different sample heating, cooling stages in addition to a standard multi-sample holder stage.

3.1.3. Minimum of 15 ports.

3.1.4. Integrated cleaner.

3.2. Specimen stage with minimum: (1) X-Y-Z range of 100 mm – 100 mm -10 mm; (2) continuous rotation of 360 degree, and tilt range of -4 degree to +59 degree.

3.3. Provide stage load capacity.

3.4. Provide XY stage movement repeatability at 0 degree tilt.

3.5. Integrated column and chamber isolation for vibration damping.

3.6. Compatible with 3rd party analytical instruments such as EDS, EBSD, SIMS

4. Detector Related Characteristics

4.1. At a minimum, the following types of detectors or equivalent:

4.1.1. Everhart-Thornley secondary electron (SE)

4.1.2. In-lens secondary electron/backscattered electron (SE/BSE)

4.1.3. In-column SE/BSE

4.1.4. In-column backscattered electron (BSE)

4.1.5. Dedicated segmented back-scattered electron (BSE)

4.1.6. Dedicated segmented STEM with bright-field (BF), dark-field (DF), and high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) modes.

4.2. In-chamber navigation camera or low magnification capability equivalent.

5. Vacuum and Power Related Characteristics

5.1. Completely oil free vacuum system.

5.2. Uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

6. User Interface and Software Related Characteristics

6.1. Provide information on electron and ion column alignment process.

6.1.1. What needs to be done by a service engineer and what can be done by a user as needed.

6.1.2. Which alignments are automated, semi-automated, or fully manual.

6.1.3. How often each type of alignments is typically needed.

6.1.4. Can specific alignments be saved and recalled.

6.2. Automated or macro-based routines for specimen preparation

6.3. Automated mosaic capturing and image stitching capable.

6.4. Programming API and/or support for custom scripting (e.g. python) for automated specimen characterization and/or fabrication.

6.5. Software or script for FIB sample preparation (e.g. transmission electron microscope specimen or atom-probe tips).

6.6. Automated serial sectioning, imaging, analytical characterization, and three dimensional (3D) tomography (e.g. imaging, EDS, and EBSD) capable.

6.7. Control PC with Windows 10 operating system or later with Trusted Platform Module 2.0 or greater.

6.8. Remote operation of the instrument.

7. The Contractor shall provide information on following Optional or 3rd party Equipment Characteristics separately:

7.1. GIS unit capable of premixing a minimum of two (2) chemicals listed above prior to injection for complex chemistry deposition or enhanced reactive etching.

7.2. Silicon drift detector (SDD) based energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) system with ultra-thin window for low-Z element detection. Provide detailed information for the proposed SDD system such as the manufacturer, model, detector size, window type, resolution, software package, etc.

7.3. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) system. Provide detailed information for the proposed EBSD system such as the manufacturer, model, camera, software package, etc.

7.4. Multi-purpose specimen holders. Provide detailed descriptions and/or drawings of the holder and note their compatibility with FIB/SEM components (e.g., used for EBSD analysis, used with STEM detector, used with dedicated BSD, etc.)

7.5. Additional ion species for the ion column and their imaging resolution and milling rate for Si.

7.6. SIMS add-on for the FIB/SEM. Provide detailed characteristics of the SIMS instrument and performance spec in the proposed FIB/SEM configuration.

7.7. Cold stage add-on for the FIB-SEM. Provide detailed characteristics of the cold stage performance spec in the proposed FIB/SEM configuration.

7.8. Laser milling capability. Provide detailed description of the instrument, system configuration, and material removal rates.

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE

In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORRMATION. Please include only the following information, readable in either Microsoft Word 365, Microsoft Excel 365, or .pdf format, in the response: Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact specialist listed at the bottom of this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice.

· Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI).

· Identify laboratory equipment that your company sells that is of the nature addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice. Include brand name, make, model, and/or other distinguishing information.

· State if your company is the manufacturer of the identified equipment or is a retailer or wholesaler that normally sells the identified equipment. If the latter, indicate whether the manufacturer authorized in writing for your company to sell the identified equipment on behalf of the manufacturer.

· Describe performance capabilities and relevant or beneficial physical and functional features for any equipment you identified to satisfy the NIST-identified minimum specifications described in this notice.

· Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section above that could be viewed as unduly restrictive or contain unnecessary barriers that adversely affect your ability to fully participate and indicate why. In such a scenario, please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more inclusive and competitive.

· Discuss whether the equipment that your company sells and which you describe in your response to this notice may be customized to specifications and indicate any limits to customization.

· For the NAICS code listed in this notice:

· Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business. See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information.

· If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement.

· Describe services that are available with the purchase of the aforementioned equipment from your company such as installation, training, and equipment maintenance.

· Describe standard terms and conditions of sale offered by your company for the aforementioned equipment such as: delivery time after your company accepts the order; FOB shipping terms: manufacturer warranty (including details regarding nature and duration); if available, description(s) of available extended warranty; equipment setup and test; operator and service instruction manual(s); cleanup after installation; and if applicable, other offered services. Provide a copy of manufacturer standard terms and conditions that typically relate to the sale of the specified equipment, if available.

· State whether your company offers facility renovation services related to installation of the aforementioned equipment at its delivery destination, if required per the NIST-identified minimum specifications, and provide description of services. Indicate if your company performs the facility renovation services or typically subcontracts the work to another company. Indicate if your company would be interested inspecting the intended installation site during the market research phase.

· State published price, discount or rebate arrangements for aforementioned equipment and/or provide link to access company’s published prices for equipment and services.

· State whether the aforementioned equipment is manufactured in the United States and, if not, state the name of the country where the equipment is manufactured.

· Identify any plans/possibilities for changes in manufacturing location of the aforementioned equipment and provide relevant details.

· If the aforementioned equipment and related services are available for purchase on any existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts against which NIST may be able place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.

· Identify any customers in the public or private sectors in which you provided the aforementioned or similar equipment. Include customer(s) information: company name, phone number, point of contact, email address.

· Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for NIST to know as part of its market research for this requirement.

· State if you require NIST to provide additional information to improve your understanding of the government’s requirement and/or would like to meet with NIST representatives to discuss the requirement and the capabilities of the identified equipment.

QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE

Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via email to the Primary Point of Contact and the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice. Questions should be submitted so that they are received by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on October 31, 2022. Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline.

IMPORTANT NOTES

The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future.

This notice should not be construed as a commitment by NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract.

Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotations.

No award will be made as a result of this notice.

NIST is not responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.

NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and appropriate.

Thank you for taking the time to submit a response to this request!