Sole Source JA_21Q0332_Stable Laser Systems_Redacted.pdf

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

1. Contracting Activity.

a. Requiring Activity:

b. Contracting Activity: AFRL/RIKO, 26 Electronic Pkwy, Rome NY 13441

c. Purchase Request #:

2. Nature and/or Description of Action.

a. Description of Requirement: Procurement of three laser systems to be integrated with existing Air Force equipment, in support of for CQC (Connecting Quantum Capabilities).

b. Sole source company:

Stable Laser Systems 4946 63rd St, Ste B, Boulder, CO 80301

3. Description of Supplies or Service. Under the contemplated contract, Stable Laser Systems will provide the following supplies in sustainment of the Connecting Quantum Capabilities program:

(1) Portable Frequency Stabilized Laser System with a laser Toptica DLC DL Pro provided by SLS

Frequency stabilized laser system including installation, training, manuals, and 1 year warranty, with shipping crate. System to include custom cavity, control electronics, GUI control with command line options, vibration isolation, and offset lock.

Laser Specifications:

Design wavelength 1762 nm Laser Linewidth < 1Hz Allan Deviation at 1 s; no drift removed <1.2 x 10^(-15) Allan Deviation at 10 s < 2 x 10^(-14) Frequency Drift over 24 hours <20 kHz at time of delivery Optical output >1 W PM1550-XP aligned to slow axis

Cavity Specifications:

Ultra-low expansion (ULE) substrate mirrors ULE cavity FSR 1.5 GHz Finesse > 300 000

Custom vacuum housing Vacuum housing pressure <1 x 10^-7 Torr.

Temperature control at measured spacer zero crossing temperature

Control Specifications:

Control of all system functions via GUI on a laptop, or a front panel touchscreen Control from command line with instructions provided High speed Pound Drever Hall locking electronics Offset lock from cavity which allows the locked stabilized frequency to be changed DDS able to accept external 10/100 MHz reference signal Phase continuous programmable frequency drift removal

(2) SLS-FIFOcav

Fiber in fiber out tunable cavity in enclosure. Required to lock the incident 1W beam using an EOM and PDH discriminator, and will include FPGA locking electronics with remote control. Specifications:

Cavity Center Wavelength 1762 nm Cavity FSR ~1 GHz Cavity Finesse 1000-1500 Fiber to fiber efficiency 67% Fiber PM1550 Cavity PieZoelectric Transducer (PZT) allowing ~2 free spectral range with voltages

~200 V

Additionally, the provided control system for the above items must meet the following specifications:

User-controlled option to internal Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillation (OCXO) or external 10/100 MHz reference provided by end user.

Control using GUI on a latpot, serial commands (listing provided) over USB, and/or a touchscreen.

Frequency offset lock with offset range 15 MHz – 800 MHz either side of carrier Phase-continuous frequency tuning for linear frequency drift removal.

Drift removal capable for >1 year of accumulated drift Manual integrated frequency reset Lock initiated by external trigger, toggle switch, or command line.

Locking gains adjustable by command line.

Auto-lock reacquisition sequence provided, with unlock events logged Two provided external frequency tuning inputs with programmable scaling and programmable low-pass filter corner frequency Status reporting and user-optional logging at approximately 1 Hz, to include:

o Packet number o Lock time o Unlock events o Actuator voltage o Net offset frequency o Drift rate

The estimated value of this requirement is

4. Statutory Authority. 10 USC 2304(c)(1) Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy the agency requirement.

5. Justification or Authority for Action. The products to be acquired are essential to the Government’s requirements and other companies’ products do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet the Government’s needs. The Government requires this very narrow, ultrastable laser system to address a particular transition of singly-ionized barium as part of their trapped ion research efforts. The intrinsic properties of barium ions set requirements that must be met in order to perform particular tasks within a trapped ion system. Stable Laser Systems is able to provide the required complete systems that will provide a laser that meets the requirements.

Known competitors do not provide complete ULE-cavity stabilized laser systems at the wavelengths required. Accordingly, Stable Laser Systems is the only firm capable of providing the complete system required. without the U.S. Air Force experiencing a substantial duplication of cost and effort that could not be expected to be recovered through competition.

6. Efforts Made to Ensure Offers are Solicited from as many Sources as Practicable.

A Pre-solicitation Notice outlining the Government’s intent to make a sole-source award to Stable Laser Systems was posted to the Beta.Sam.gov website 21 JUL – 05 AUG 2021. No responses to this notice were received to give an indication that a company other than Stable Laser Systems could fulfill the requirement.

7. The Contracting Officer determines that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable. Costs will be determined fair and reasonable in accordance with FAR 15.404- 1(b)(2)(ii) Comparison of the proposed prices to historical prices paid, whether by the Government or other than the Government, for the same or similar items, and FAR 15.404- 1(b)(2)(vii) Other than certified cost or pricing data will be analyzed.

8. Market Research/Other facts.

In addition, Colleagues within the group surveyed alternative ultrastable laser systems.

provides a system, but their data sheet (included, accessed 25 June 2021) indicates that the wavelength range available is 600 nm- 1600 nm, which does not include the wavelength required.

A Notice of Intent to enter into a sole source with Stable Laser Systems was posted to Beta.SAM.gov from 21 JUL – 05 AUG 2021, zero responses were received.

9. Any other facts supporting Other than Full and Open Competition. There are no other facts supporting this justification.

10. List of Sources that have Expressed in Writing an Interest in the Procurement.

11. Statement of Actions to Remove/Overcome Barriers to Competition. The laboratory lead will continue to research the performance and technical capabilities of similar products against each of their future requirements to avoid omitting other qualified sources. The market will be monitored for future availability of additional providers.

12. Contracting Officer’s Certification. The contracting officer’s signature below evidences that he/she has determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of his/her knowledge and belief.

13. Technical / Requirements Personnel Certification. As evidenced by their signature below, the technical and/or requirements personnel have certified that any supporting data contained herein, which is their responsibility, is both accurate and complete.

Program Manager

APPROVED DISAPPROVED

Contracting Officer