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STATEMENT OF WORK

CHIPS R&D: EUV Photoresists, Photoresist Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) Optical MEMS and Nanophotonics Lab, Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division 681.01

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The semiconductor supply chain is global, specialized, and interconnected. Chipmakers do business with thousands of individual suppliers that provide the highly complex materials and tools used to produce semiconductors. To address the lack of full visibility into the semiconductors markets supply chain and R&D ecosystem gaps NIST will conduct the measurement science, or metrology, critical to the development of new materials, packaging, and production methods in chip manufacturing.

The CHIPS Metrology Program at NIST advances metrology for accelerating R&D and for developing breakthroughs that support the development of the next-generation microelectronics and ensure the competitiveness and leadership of the United States. The Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division develops micro-/nano-fabrication technologies, devices and novel measurement methods enabled by integrated microsystems.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) CHIPS metrology program has a requirement for a customized fluid immersion atomic force microscope (AFM) to develop advanced in-situ measurement methods of physical-chemical processes at the solid-liquid interfaces with relevance to semiconductor manufacturing. The measurement goal is to measure rapid changes in surface topography in response to the introduction of a liquid chemical reagent. In addition to using conventional cantilever probes, the AFM will be adapted to use custom chip-scale optomechanical probes developed at NIST to achieve high bandwidth, combined with high deflection sensitivity and low perturbation during fluid exchange. A system upgradeable to video-rate imaging is required.

In addition to conventional fast imaging in the fluid, the instrument must enable integration (via the AFM controller hardware and software and the probe holder modification) of NIST made optomechanical AFM probes characterized by a first contact mechanical resonance in the 10 MHz to 30 MHz range (https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=920671). Using NIST optomechanical probes, the setup shall enable imaging of the sample topography in contact mode. Imaging in fast force curve mode will also be explored.

To reduce the cost to NIST, NIST will make available for trade-in an Asylum Research Cypher S AFM S/N ARC2 #3946, which is approximately 10 years old and in good working condition.

SCOPE

The goal of this contract is to supply, install and train new users on a Fluid immersion AFM customized for use with NIST optomechanical probes for the Optical MEMS and Nanophotonics lab in the Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division.

The Contractor shall deliver a quantity of one (1) AFM, inclusive of FOB Destination delivery, installation, warranty, training, and any option line items.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

All items must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. Experimental, prototype, or custom items will not be considered other than as specified below. The use of “gray market” components are not authorized for sale in the U.S. by the Contractor is not acceptable. All line items shall be shipped in the original manufacturer’s packaging and include all original documentation and software, when applicable.

The Contractor shall provide a system that meets all technical specifications identified below:

Line Item 0001: Fluid immersion AFM customized for use with NIST optomechanical probes.

Description: Environmental AFM customized for use with NIST probes.

Quantity: 1 A. Technical Specifications

1. Accessible XY range of at least 30 µm and z range of at least 5 µm with XY position sensors enabling close-loop scanning.

2. Line scan rate of at least 1 Hz over full scan range and not less than 40 Hz over at least 10 µm range with high scan linearity and reproducibility, while operating in contact and tapping modes. Contractor shall provide with their technical quotation image examples taken at these or similar rate and range combinations, including a large range scan and a fast scan taken on the same hardware.

3. At the high line rates, the AFM must scan the sample while rigidly holding the probe. NIST custom probe is optical fiber-pigtailed and rigid holding of the probe ensures that no mechanical noise is transferred through the fibers. In tip scanning, mechanical noise from fiber pigtails may detrimentally and unpredictably affect the scan. Additionally, strong mechanical pulling on a fiber should not result in damage to system components other than the probe chip itself.

4. The system should be capable of “blind” probe approach not requiring top-down imaging to localize the probe tip in z. The (near) vertical configuration of the NIST probe chip prevents accurate automatic probe height determination via optical imaging from the top and makes manual focusing on probe tip difficult or impossible.

4.1. The system, with an empty fluid cell in place, shall

4.1.1. allow optical observation access (unaided or via an external user-provided camera) at the grazing angle (viewing along the sample surface)

4.1.2. allow to pre-position the probe <0.5mm above the sample under manual z control from the user interface software, aided by observation in (4.1.1).

4.2. The system shall provide an automated routine to approach the sample to the probe until contact is detected via the probe deflection signal and contact mode feedback loop is engaged. Such routine shall include a sequence of stepper motor and z piezo steps capable of

4.2.1. closing the gap starting from the initial probe-sample gap of at least 500 µm and

4.2.2. engaging the feedback without deflecting the probe by more than 100 nm. Larger deflections may result in a crash and damage for the NIST probe.

Note: This routine shall be demonstrated during the acceptance testing using a conventional cantilever using the conventional optical beam bounce deflection detection (see section Inspection & Acceptance performance testing 6 below.

5. Top-down optical imaging of the sample shall be provided. Imaging system shall have an image plane to imaging optics working distance of at least 7 mm to accommodate the NIST probes. Imaging system shall have a numerical aperture of at least 0.1 and imaging resolution of below 2.5 µm.

6. For conventional cantilever probes, the system shall provide a beam deflection measurement with a spot of no larger than 10 µm.

7. Acoustic enclosure and mechanical isolation support shall be provided. Acoustic isolation from ambient noise shall be at least 20 dB. Combined mechanical vibration table or support and the enclosure horizontal footprint shall not exceed 90 cm x 90 cm.

8. The system shall be highly mechanically stable, with z noise and drift of less than 50 pm in 1 s, measured by the calibrated probe deflection while the close-loop control is turned off, under optimal acoustic and mechanical environmental conditions with the system and mechanical and acoustic isolation configured as offered. Contractor shall provide with their technical quotation technical data demonstrating technical capability to meet this specification.

9. The system shall be able to accept an external analog electrical deflection signal derived by the user from the NIST probe in place of conventional probe deflection signal. The signal full range shall be at least 0 V to +5 V.

10. The system shall be able to digitize the external deflection signal in the range of 0 V to +2 V with the analog bandwidth of at least 30 MHz, digital sampling rate of at least 60 MSa/s. Typical noise power spectral density shall not exceed 200 nV/rt-Hz between 300 kHz and 25 MHz.

11. Commercial fluid cells enabling rapid fluid exchange from an inlet port located within 1 mm of the probe shall be included.

12. The system shall allow NIST to engineer and use custom probe holders in conjunction with an included commercial open fluid cell.

12.1. Contractor shall provide, with their technical submittal, technical drawings describing the available mechanical interface between the system and the custom probe holder components NIST can use to mechanically attach the probes. The drawings shall clearly indicate spatial clearances to all nearby system components near the probe location.

12.2. The supplier shall provide not less than 3 mechanical probe holders “blanks” that can be machined and customized by NIST to accommodate NIST probes.

12.3. The compatible open fluid cell shall protect the scanned and other components from accidental spillage of small amounts of fluid from the sample stage using a washable hermetic barrier.

13. The system shall accept a sample size of up to 10 mm x 10 mm and up to 0.5 mm thick for the above-listed scanning rates.

14. The system shall be compatible with a future upgrade to provide active sample temperature control.

15. The system shall be compatible with a future upgrade to provide active temperature stabilization within the enclosure.

Line Item 0002: OPTION LINE-ITEM Upgrade to video rate scanning Description: Upgrade to video rate scanning Quantity: 1 A. Technical Specifications

1. Upgrade to video-rate scanning with line scan rates of at least 1200 Hz in contact and tapping modes.

2. System shall offer at least 10 µm X and Y range at line scan rate up to 600 Hz and at least 0.5 µm range between 600 Hz and 1200 Hz. Contractor shall provide with their technical submittal, image examples taken at these or similar rate and range combinations, including a large range scan and a fast scan taken on the same hardware.

3. The video data capture shall be continuous and stored in a single file without information loss. Supplier shall offer writing or conversion of the files to open formats. Contractor shall describe or reference the used open file format with their technical submission.

4. The upgrade shall not require any change to the fluid cell hardware and the probe holder. Conventional and custom holders and fluid cells used with the base system shall be transferable without modification to the upgraded system.

Note: Any shipping charges applicable to this upgrade, if exercised, shall be the responsibility of NIST. NIST will provide a shipping account to cover the charges, if exercised.

Line Item 0003: OPTION LINE-ITEM Upgrade to photothermal cantilever excitation.

Description: Upgrade to provide optical drive to conventional cantilever probes.

Quantity: 1 A. Technical Specifications

1. Upgrade to include optical photothermal excitation of conventional cantilever probes with frequency up to 7 MHz and spot size no larger than 5 µm.

2. The upgrade shall not require any change to the fluid cell hardware and the probe holder. Holders and fluid cells used with the base system shall be transferable without modification to the upgraded system.

3. Both base and optional video rate configurations shall be upgradeable.

Note: Any shipping charges applicable to this upgrade, if exercised, shall be the responsibility of NIST. NIST will provide a shipping account to cover the charges, if exercised.

DELIVERY TERMS

Delivery shall be F.O.B Destination or INCOTERMS Delivered Duties Paid (for non-domestic shipments) and shall occur within 8 months from receipt of an order.

FOB Destination means: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. The contractor shall deliver all Line Items to:

National Institute of Standards and Technology Bldg. 301 Shipping & Receiving 100 Bureau Dr.

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

INSTALLATION

The system shall be installed by the Contractor and meet contract specifications no later than 4 weeks after delivery. Installation, at a minimum, shall include uncrating/unpackaging of all equipment, rigging, set-up and hook-up of the system, demonstration of all specifications, and removal of trash. Onsite installation and demonstration shall be done at NIST, (Gaithersburg, MD- Building 216.)

The Contractor shall supply the initial installation manual, utility requirements, full system design schematics, and a diagram showing the tool footprint, measurements, and wall penetrations for the system at the time of award.

TRAINING

Upon completion of successful site acceptance testing, the Contractor shall train users on the operation and maintenance of the system. The Contractor shall conduct a training session for up to 3 users at NIST. The training shall provide a thorough demonstration of all system functions, maintenance, data administration, and basic troubleshooting. The training may be completed at NIST Monday – Friday during the operating hours of 9 am to 7 pm immediately after installation and demonstration of specifications and must be completed no later than 7 days after installation.

INSPECTION & 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.

Performance Tests:

All performance tests will be performed with conventional commercial cantilever probes on HOPG or test gratings.

1. Visual physical inspection.

2. Contact mode and tapping mode scans testing maximum scan range and maximum scan rate.

3. Scan flatness, linearity and noise level test.

4. Open-loop stability test.

5. Imaging in liquid.

6. Engaging a commercial cantilever probe without using top-down imaging, as specified in technical specification 4.2. Maximum deflection must not exceed 100 nm.

NIST may choose at its discretion to forego this part of acceptance testing.

A visual inspection of the equipment will be performed by the NIST COR to identify surface defects or any form of indication that any equipment was damaged during transport to NIST. The Government shall have sole discretion to require repair or replacement of damaged and/or nonconforming supplies at no cost to the Government. The Government at any time prior to acceptance shall reject the equipment due to defects and/or nonconformance. The vendor is responsible for latent defects discovered any time after final inspection. However, the extent of its liability shall be prorated over the useful life of the equipment.

Ownership of the equipment shall transfer to NIST upon acceptance by the Government.

The Government will inspect and accept or reject the equipment within 14 working days of the receipt of the equipment unless otherwise indicated above. The Government reserves the right to conduct quality assurance testing to confirm that a given instrument(s) meets the manufacturer’s and/or the Government’s performance specifications. It is anticipated that the equipment will meet all manufacturer’s specifications and/or the Government’s performance specifications identified in the most recent operations and maintenance manual for each piece of equipment and/or in this document.

WARRANTY

The contractor shall warranty the entire system for a period of a minimum of 1 year after receipt of the equipment and shall be in accordance with terms in FAR 52.212-4. Warranty shall commence upon acceptance of the system by the Government and at a minimum shall include the following: repair or replacement coverage of Contractor manufactured parts and accessories, including shipment. All other parts shall be covered by their manufacturer warranties for no less than 1 year.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Advance payment is not authorized. The Contractor shall be paid, in accordance with Net 30-day payment terms, upon receipt and acceptance of a proper invoice, completion of the performance/acceptable testing as set forth herein, completion of installation and training and final acceptance by the COR.

NOTE: Partial shipments and partial invoices will not be accepted, unless otherwise requested and accepted by the Contracting Officer prior to award offer. Proposed payment schedules shall be submitted with vendor’s response to the RFQ for consideration.

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