COMB SYNOP_ SOL SB1341-10-RQ-0329 061710.pdf

RFQ SB1341-10-RQ-0329

CLASSIFICATION CODE: 66- Laboratory Equipment and Supplies

TITLE: RECOVERY- I-LINE STEPPER OPTICAL LITHOGRAPHY SYSTEM

SOLICITATION NUMBER: SB1341-10-RQ-0329

RESPONSE DATE: 9 July 2010

CONTACT POINTS: Marie A. Gilliam, Contractor, Contract Specialist, (301) 975-6753 Todd Hill, Contracting Officer, (301) 975-8802

DESCRIPTION:

RECOVERY: THIS ACQUISITION IS BEING FUNDED BY THE AMERICAN

RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT (ARRA) OF 2009.

RECOVERY - The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a requirement for an i-Line Stepper Optical Lithography System to be used at the Center for Nanoscale Science & Technology (CNST) located on the campus of NIST, Gaithersburg, MD.

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. THE SOLICITATION IS

BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE

AUTHORITY OF FAR 13.5 TEST PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-41.

1352.215-72 INQUIRIES (APR 2010)

Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to Todd Hill, Contracting Officer. Questions should be received no later than 10 calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract.

(End of provision)

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 423690 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. This acquisition is unrestricted and all interested sources may submit a quotation.

Offeror(s) shall provide a quotation for the following line items:

ITEM SCHEDULE OF UNIT TOTAL

NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QTY U/I PRICE PRICE

0001 i-Line Stepper Optical Lithography 1 EA $____________ $______________ System

OPTION LINE ITEMS

0002 Additional Workstation with all 1 EA $_____________ $______________ necessary Software required to set up and create exposure job files

0003 Extended Warranty* 1 YR $______________ $______________

0004 Maintenance Agreement** 1 YR $______________ $______________

Total of Option Line Items 0002-0004……………$__________________________________

*Extended Warranty shall be identical to the express warranty for Line Item 0001 and shall be effective at the expiration of the express warranty period for Line Item 0001.

**Any scheduled maintenance necessary to enable the system to operate to the performance defined under Line Item 0001. If this service is included in the “Extended Warranty” defined under Line Item 0003, the offeror shall so state.

STATEMENT OF WORK:

1. Introduction

The contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, and services to fabricate, install and test one i-Line Stepper Optical Lithography System.

2. Requirements

Overview: The system will be used by research personnel in the NanoFab facility and will act as the primary sub-micron lithography tool for an extremely wide variety of applications in the general areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The system will be used to generate patterns in a variety of resist materials coated on substrates such as silicon, glass, quartz, GaAs, and InP and shall be capable of writing on substrates ranging in size and format from small pieces up to and including 200 millimeter wafer rounds. System shall meet a guaranteed minimum of 90% operational tool availability (uptime) not including any scheduled maintenance or repair.

The system shall meet or exceed the technical specifications identified below (except as noted):

3. Components: The system shall contain the following components:

3.1. System Optical Column

a. The system shall be equipped with an i-line (365 nm) wavelength light source with intensity > 700 mW/cm2. The light source intensity shall be maintained across the usable write field to < 3% peak-to-peak as measured by the integrated intensity meter.

b. The system shall be equipped with a 4x or 5x reduction lens with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.45 or better.

c. The lens system shall provide a minimum write field size at the wafer plane of 20 millimeters x 20 millimeters or larger. Dose exposure uniformity across the write field at the wafer plane shall be < 3% peak-to-peak as measured by the integrated intensity meter.

d. The lens system shall provide a depth-of-focus (DOF) of 1.0 micron or better at 0.4 microns.

3.2. Writing Stage, Wafer-handling, and Mask-handling Systems

a. The mechanical stage system shall be supplied with a minimum travel in the x- and y-directions of 200 millimeters.

b. The system shall be supplied with wafer handling capabilities for 100 millimeter silicon wafers of nominal thickness. The system shall further be supplied with automatic wafer handling for 100 millimeter diameter silicon wafers.

c. The wafer handling and exposure system shall have the capability to accommodate a means of exposing substrates ranging in size from small pieces 20 millimeters x 20 millimeters in size up to and including 200 millimeter diameter round. System shall be capable of handling substrates with thicknesses ranging from 0.2 millimeters up to and including 1.0 millimeters.

Changeover between substrate sizes shall not exceed six hours when performed by qualified personnel.

d. The system shall have the ability to load, focus, align and expose optically transparent substrates such as 100 millimeter diameter quartz substrates.

e. The system shall have a reticle masking system allowing exposure of multiple field sites across a single reticle.

f. The system shall have an automated reticle handling system capable of loading and storing at least five photomasks or reticles at any given time. The system shall make primary use of 6 inch binary masks.

g. The main system unit shall be supplied with a substantial vibration isolation support system.

h. The system shall be equipped with an environmental chamber with cleanliness control of class 100 or better.

3.3. Electronic Control System and Software

a. All functions of the i-line stepper lithography system shall be accessible through computer control, including mask exposure preparation, as well as checks and routines required to maintain system performance.

b. The computer control system shall make use of a computer-based graphical user interface and shall be in the English language.

c. The control system software shall provide administrator and user modes of operation to protect the system. Operation of the instrument shall be password protected.

3.4. Performance Specifications

The system shall meet or exceed the following performance specifications:

Parameter Specification Resolution ≤ 0.40 μm

Global alignment < 0.1 μm, 3σ Field alignment < 0.1 μm, 3σ Overlay (tool-to-self) < 0.1 μm Overlay (tool-to-other) < 0.08 μm

CD control ± 5 % DOF at 0.4 μm ≤ 1μm

4. Secondary Requirements:

Failure to meet a secondary requirement defined below will not, by itself, render a quotation technically unacceptable; however, the secondary requirements that are not met will be considered weaknesses in the best value determination.

1. Backside alignment system for exposing a 100 millimeter diameter silicon substrate.

2. Substrate handling for 75, 150, and 200 millimeter diameter silicon substrates.

3. Substrate handling for small, irregular shaped substrate (no smaller than 20 millimeters on any one side).

4. Reticle handling system for using 5 x 5 x .090 inch sized binary photomasks.

5. Documentation:

Contractor shall provide complete documentation of Line Item 0001 on hardware, software, installation, trouble-shooting and maintenance. Documentation may be provided either as hard copy or on CD/DVD ROM.

6. Express Warranty:

The Contractor shall warrant the entire system for a period of at least one year. The warranty must include unlimited telephone/email support for questions regarding operation. During the warranty period, at least two service visits shall be provided by the contractor for routine preventative maintenance. All costs including parts, labor, travel, and other expenses necessary to repair the system will be borne solely by the contractor at no additional costs to the U.S.

Government.

7. Compliance: System shall comply with all applicable US electrical and associated safety and health code requirements relative to the quoted equipment.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE RECOVERY ACT

Recovery Act reports are a required deliverable in accordance with FAR 52.204-11. Failure to submit timely, complete, and accurate Recovery Act reports will be considered failure to comply with a contract term or condition.

Site Preparation

NIST will provide the laboratory site for installation of the instrument prior to instrument delivery and installation by the Contractor. Prior to installation, the Contractor may be required to meet with the Technical Information Contact (TIC) who will be responsible to perform all construction and/or service related tasks necessary to prepare the NIST laboratory for the equipment installation. This meeting may include, but is not limited to attending in person or via conference call, and providing information to the TIC with respect modifications required for the installation site.

Installation

The system shall be installed by the contractor and meet contract specifications no later than four weeks after delivery. Installation, at a minimum, shall include set-up and hook-up of the system, demonstration of all specifications, and removal of trash. Onsite installation and demonstration shall be done at the Cleanroom (Class 100) in Building 215, NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

o The contractor is responsible for all packing and shipping provisions to ensure that the system arrives at NIST’s site in an undamaged, working condition. The contractor shall inform NIST of shipping plans two weeks before actual shipment.

o The contractor shall provide qualified personnel to perform and/or oversee all system installation and start-up activities necessary to ensure the system is fully functional upon completion including all rigging necessary for tool move-in from loading dock.

Training

The contractor shall conduct one (1) training session for up to three (3) users at NIST. The training shall provide a thorough demonstration of all system/solution functions, maintenance, data administration, and basic troubleshooting. The training may be completed at NIST immediately after installation/set-up and on-site measurements demonstrating that no damage or misalignment issues arose during transportation and installation, but shall be completed no later than 30 days after installation.

Factory Site Visit

The Government may, at its discretion, make site visits to the factory to observe procedures for remanufacture, integration, and handling or to receive demonstrations or instruction on the operation of the instruments. The visits will be coordinated with the contractor in sufficient time as not to impede progress on delivery of the instruments.

Inspection and 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, shall 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.

Contractor shall perform the following acceptance tests in the presence of the TIC:

1. The system shall meet or surpass an operational test of the wafer-handling system by automatically loading and exposing 25 consecutive 100 millimeter wafers (provided by NIST) without any interruptions.

2. The system shall meet or surpass an operational cycling test of the mask-handling system by automatically cycling 100 times the loading and unloading of five individual reticles (provided by NIST) without any interruptions.

Delivery

Delivery shall be FOB DESTINATION and be completed in accordance with the offeror’s commercial schedule, but not later than one-year from date of award.

PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are hereby incorporated by reference. All FAR clauses may be viewed at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html.

Those marked with an asterisk are provided in full text in Attachment 1.

Provisions *52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items *52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options

Offerors shall complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca.bpn.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items.

If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required.

Clauses

*52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items 52.212-5 II Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items (APR 2010)--ALTERNATE II (APR 2010)—Commercial Items including subparagraphs:

52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government *52.203-15, Whistleblower Protections Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 *52.204-11, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act--Reporting Requirements 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Representation 52.222-3, Convict Labor;

http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html

52.222-19 Child Labor – Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies;

52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities;

52-222-26, Equal Opportunity;

52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities;

52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans 52.225-5, Trade Agreements 52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases;

52.232-30, Installment Payments for Commercial Items 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration.

*52.237-2 Protection of Government Buildings, Equipment, And Vegetation *52.247-34 F.O.B. Destination *1352.201-70 Contracting Officer’s Authority *1352.209-73 Compliance With The Laws

Central Contractor Registration

In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, the awardee must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov) prior to award. Refusal to register shall forfeit award.

Due Date for Quotations

Offerors shall submit their quotations so that NIST receives them not later than 12:00 p.m.

Eastern Time on Friday, July 9, 2010. FAX quotations shall not be accepted. E-mail quotations shall be accepted at todd.hill@nist.gov with “cc” to marie.gilliam@nist.gov.

Offerors’ quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered into the e-mail address(es) inbox set forth above.

Quotations shall be sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition Management Division, Attn: Todd Hill, Contracting Officer, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640. All offerors should ensure the RFQ number is visible on the outermost packaging.

Because of heightened security, FED-EX, UPS, or similar delivery methods are the preferred method of delivery of quotes. If quotes are hand delivered, delivery shall be made on the actual due date through Gate A, and a 48 hour (excluding weekends and holidays) prior notice shall be provided to Marie A. Gilliam, Contractor Contract Specialist on 301-975-6753.

Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Quotation Preparation Instructions

1. Price Quotation: The offeror shall submit an original and four copies of the completed price schedule. If the quotation is submitted electronically, additional copies are not required. The pricing quotation shall be separate from any other portion of the quotation. The offeror shall propose a firm-fixed-price, preferably FOB Destination, for each CLIN. Price quotations shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due.

2. Technical Quotation: The offeror shall submit an original and four copies of the technical quotation. If the quotation is submitted electronically, additional copies are not required. The technical quotation shall address the following:

Technical Capability: The offeror shall submit a technical description or product literature for the equipment it is proposing, which clearly identifies the manufacturer, make and model. The offeror must demonstrate that its proposed equipment meets or exceeds each minimum requirement and each secondary requirement described in the specifications by providing a citation to the relevant section of its technical description or product literature. If applicable, evidence that the Offeror is authorized by the original equipment manufacturer to provide the item(s) in the quotation should be included.

Compliance: Offeror shall comply with all applicable US electrical and associated safety and health code requirements relative to the described equipment. The Contractor shall provide documentation/certification that the system meets or exceeds these codes or standards.

Contractor shall be required to match up to common US voltages. Should it be required, a step-http://www.ccr.gov/ mailto:todd.hill@nist.gov mailto:marie.gilliam@nist.gov up/step-down transformers and/or line conditioners needed to convert 208V three-phase power to match system’s input power requirements shall be quoted.

Operational Performance: Offeror shall provide performance data to document that the system shall meet a guaranteed minimum of 90% operational tool availability (uptime) not including any scheduled maintenance or repair. This data shall be based upon a minimum of ten fielded systems of similar platform as to the system quoted in response to this solicitation. If the offeror provides data from systems different than the system quoted, they shall provide rationale as to the validity of the performance data as it relates to the system quoted.

3.4. Performance Specifications: In order to receive the Stronger or Strongest Consideration associated with exceeding the performance specifications set forth under Section

3.4 (see QUOTATION EVALUATION), the offeror must provide a plot of k1 and k2 versus feature size.

Special quotation requirements for quotes of demonstration models, used or refurbished instruments:

a. Describe or list any major parts or subsystems of the proposed system that are already considered obsolete (either unavailable or only available on a best-efforts basis).

b. Describe or list any major parts or subsystems of the proposed system that are currently not obsolete but have a planned obsolescence date. Indicate the planned obsolescence date.

c. Describe or provide any additional information on planned parts and service availability over the expected lifetime of the tool and define how long the offeror is able to support the quoted system.

Experience: The offeror shall demonstrate the extent to which it has recently manufactured, distributed, and installed similar equipment.

Past Performance: The offeror shall provide past performance information regarding relevant contracts over the past five (5) years with Federal, state, or local governments, or commercial customers. If the offeror intends to subcontract with another firm(s) for part of this requirement, that firm’s past performance information shall also be provided. If the offeror has no relevant past performance, it may include a statement to that effect in its quotation. The government reserves the right to consider data obtained from sources other than those described by the offeror in its quotation. It is recommended that approximately 3-5 contracts be referenced.

The description of each contract/order described in this section shall not exceed one half page in length. For each contract/order, the offeror shall provide the following information:

1. Contract number;

2. Description and relevance to solicitation requirements including dollar value;

3. Period of Performance – indicate by month and year the state and completion (or “ongoing”) dates for the contract;

4. Reference Contact – If a non-Government contract, identify the name and address of the client with current telephone number and email address of a point of contact of the client responsible for the contract;

5. Contracting Office – If a Government contract (Federal or state), identify the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), administrative Contracting Officer (ACO), and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and their names, current telephone numbers and email addresses.

6. Problems Encountered – include information regarding information regarding any problems encountered on the contracts described above and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems.

Acceptance of Terms and Conditions: This is an open-market solicitation for equipment as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this solicitation that will include the clauses set forth herein. The quotation should include one of the following statements:

“The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition.”

OR

“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:

Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)

Note: This procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an offeror 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 offeror’s FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.

QUOTATION EVALUATION:

Evaluation Factors

Award shall be made to the offeror whose quotation offers the best value to the Government price and other factors considered. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria: 1) Technical Capability 2) Experience, 3) Past Performance, and 4) Price. All non-price factors, when combined, are more important than price.

Technical Capability:

Demonstration models, used or refurbished instruments will be considered; however, quoted systems that the offeror is not able to support for a minimum of seven years from the date of acceptance will not be considered.

Evaluation of technical capability shall be based on the information provided in the quotation.

The Government will evaluate whether the offeror has demonstrated that its proposed equipment meets or exceeds all minimum requirements. Quotations that do not demonstrate the proposed equipment meets all requirements will not be considered further for award. If an offeror does not indicate whether its proposed equipment meets a certain minimum requirement, the Government will determine that it does not. The Government will give preference to offerors who demonstrate that their proposed equipment exceeds the Government’s requirements. Failure to meet a secondary requirement (See Section 4 of the Statement of Work), by itself, will not render a quotation technically unacceptable; however, the secondary requirements that are not met will be considered weaknesses in the best value determination.

Stronger Preference will be given to offerors who 1) exceed one or more of the performance specifications set forth under Section 3.4, 2) are capable of variable numerical aperture (NAs), 3) that have a larger field size, and/or 4) are capable of handling substrates with even greater size and thickness ranges than those defined with shorter changeover times.

Strongest Preference will be given to offerors who exceed all of the performance specifications set forth under Section 3.4

Experience: The Government will evaluate the extent of the offeror’s experience providing similar equipment. The Government will give preference to offerors who demonstrate they have experience delivering the same equipment they are proposing for the current requirement.

Past Performance: The Government will evaluate the Offeror's past performance information and, if appropriate, its proposed subcontractors' past performance to determine its relevance to the current requirement and the extent to which it demonstrates that the offeror has successfully completed relevant contracts in the past five years. In assessing the offeror's past performance information, the Government will evaluate, as appropriate, successful performance of contract requirements, quality and timeliness of delivery of goods and services, cost management, communications between contracting parties, proactive management and customer satisfaction..

Evaluation of this factor will be based on information contained in the technical portion of the quotation and information provided by references. The Government will evaluate past performance information by contacting appropriate references, including NIST references, if applicable. The Government may also consider other available information in evaluating the Offeror’s past performance. The Government will assign a neutral rating if the offeror has no relevant past performance information.

Price: The Government will evaluate price for reasonableness.

Non-Governmental Acquisition Support

The Government may utilize non-Governmental acquisition support for processing of quotations submitted in response to this solicitation. These individual(s) will have access to the quotation information and will be assisting the Contracting Officer in the procurement process by performing services including, but not limited to, preparing the quotations for submission to the technical evaluators, performing past performance checks, and preparing award documents. The non-Governmental acquisition support will not conduct technical evaluations of any quotation and will not be involved in the final decision as to the awardee under this procurement.

1352.233-70 AGENCY PROTESTS (APR 2010)

(a) An agency protest may be filed with either: (1) the contracting officer, or (2) at a level above the contracting officer, with the appropriate agency Protest Decision Authority. See 64 Fed. Reg. 16,651 (April 6, 1999)

(b) Agency protests filed with the Contracting Officer shall be sent to the following address: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Acquisition Management Division ATTN: Todd Hill, Contracting Officer 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899

(c) Agency protests filed with the agency Protest Decision Authority shall be sent to the following address: NIST, Acquisition Management Division

ATTN: Head of the Contracting Office (HCO) 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

(d) A complete copy of all agency protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel within one day of filing a protest with either the Contracting Officer or the Protest Decision Authority.

(e) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:

U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20230.

FAX: (202) 482-5858

1352.233-71 GAO AND COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS PROTESTS (APR 2010)

(a) A protest may be filed with either the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Court of Federal Claims unless an agency protest has been filed.

(b) A complete copy of all GAO or Court of Federal Claims protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon (i) the Contracting Officer, and (ii) the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel, within one day of filing a protest with either GAO or the Court of Federal Claims.

(c) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:

U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20230.

FAX: (202) 482-5858

(End of clause)