Salient Characteristics _W911QX26QA201.docx

Salient Characteristics 21 August 2026

Commercial Availability Certification:

I have evaluated the commercial marketplace and determined that all of the salient characteristics documented below are available in products/services offered in the commercial marketplace.

The contractor shall provide (1) Open-Architecture Confocal Raman Microscope system, including installation and training, with the following attributes:

1. System Architecture & Physical Clearance

· Open-Space / Free-Space Design: The system must utilize a decoupled, open-frame, or gantry-based microscope architecture that provides unobstructed access to the sample stage from the front and sides. Traditional closed-body microscope frames are unacceptable.

· Vertical Clearance: The distance between the sample stage and the objective turret must be adjustable to accommodate custom experimental setups (e.g., Diamond Anvil Cells, 96 well plate) with a minimum Z-axis clearance of 50 millimeters (mm).

· Heavy-Load Stage: The motorized XYZ stage must be capable of supporting experimental cells and environmental chambers with a minimum load capacity of 0.5 kiligrams (kg) without mechanical drift or loss of sub-micron stepping accuracy.

2. Optics & Working Distance

· Long Working Distance: The system must include a long working distance objective lens with a minimum working distance of 23 mm.

· Optical Optimization: The 23 mm objective must maintain a sufficient Numerical Aperture (NA) to efficiently collect Raman scatter through thick optical windows (e.g., diamond anvils, glass covers).

· Focus Tracking: The system should include dynamic or automated focus tracking to maintain optimal focus on uneven sample surfaces or dynamic crystallization environments over long data acquisition periods.

3. True Confocality & Spatial Resolution

· True Confocal Design: The system must utilize a "true confocal" design via a motorized, physically adjustable pinhole or a single-mode optical fiber coupling. Pseudo-confocal systems (using only slit-width and charge-coupled device (CCD) pixel binning) are unacceptable.

· Depth Resolution: The confocal mechanism must be capable of strictly rejecting out-of-focus light to allow for depth-profiling (Z-axis scanning). It must be able to isolate the sample signal from surrounding diamond anvils or glass crystallization dish walls.

4. Automated Particle Detection & Analysis

· Particle Finding Software: The system must include integrated software capable of automated large-area optical image scanning and morphological particle detection (e.g., based on contrast, size, or shape thresholding).

· Automated Targeting: The software must be capable of automatically driving the motorized stage to the coordinates of the identified particles to acquire Raman spectra without user intervention.

· Data Reporting: The software must compile particle statistics (size, distribution) correlated with the chemical identity derived from the Raman spectra.

5. Spectrometer & Excitation

· Lasers: System must include [532 nm and 785 nm] excitation lasers with automated, motorized switching. Lasers must include motorized, software controlled attenuation for adjusting laser power from 100% to 0.1% (or lower).

· Spectrometer: Must feature an automated grating turret and high-sensitivity detector (e.g., electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) or deep-depletion CCD) optimized for the selected wavelengths. Spectral resolution must be ≤ 1.5 centimeter (cm)-1. Spectrometer must include an automated calibration mechanism.

Signature (typed name): TBA After Contract Award (ACA) Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) or Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

Contracting Officer:

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