QandA.docx

Question and Answer Sheet for W911QX-20-Q-0205 Solicitation

Question (Q).One (1). The wording “Allow a capability for” is unclear. Please clarify if the spin detection capability should be included in our offer now, as this does significantly affect the price. Or do you want the spin detection listed as an option as a potential upgrade?

Answer (A).One (1). Spin capability shall be included as part of the response, not as an upgrade. Please refer to CLIN 0001 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001 Q.Two (2). The term “STM Cluster Tool” is unclear. Do you require the scanning probe microscope to be housed in a separate chamber, or could it be integrated into other chambers of the cluster tool, e.g. ARPES chamber, hand-off chamber, preparation chamber, etc.?

A.Two (2). The STM unit may be located in its own chamber, or in a section of the cluster tool that can consistently maintain the specified base pressure value (e.g., the hand-off/preparation chamber is an unlikely place), and not interfere with other characterization capabilities (e.g., the ARPES chamber is an unlikely place). A sensible place could be a dedicated separate chamber, or could be along the length of a transfer tube section on the cluster tool. Please refer to CLIN 0002 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001.

Q. Three (3). Are “hand-off chamber” and “preparation chamber” synonymous and therefore constitute a single chamber or are they separate dedicated chambers?

A.Three (3). Yes. They are synonymous. Both of those functions shall be available in one (one) chamber. Please refer to CLIN 0002 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001.

Q.Four (4). Can the STM Tool be integrated into either a hand-off chamber or preparation chamber?

A.Four (4). Because the vacuum level (during, say, thermal outgassing and substrate surface cleaning processes that would be somewhat routine) can be > 5 x 10-10 Torr, the SPM functionality shall not be located in the hand-off/preparation chamber. Please refer to CLIN 0002 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001.

Q.Five (5). Is the hand-off chamber a separate dedicated chamber in this cluster tool?

A.Five (5). The hand-off/preparation chamber shall be a separate chamber that can be isolated using gate valves to confine any elevated pressure process such as atomic hydrogen surface cleaning. Please refer to CLIN 0003 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001 Q.Six (6). Can details of the existing Varian/VEECO design be shared to ensure proper design and pricing for the integration?

A.Six (6). Yes. Please request whatever design details would be helpful and those will be shared. The specific connections shall be made such that samples can be exchanged to a Varian/VEECO style transfer tube that attaches to two (2) Varian/VEECO modular Gen-II MBE tools that accommodates a sample holding trolley. Please refer to CLIN 0003 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001.

Q.Seven (7). Can details of the existing Varian/VEECO design be shared to ensure proper design and pricing for the integration?

A.Seven (7). Absolutely. The connections need to interface between two (2) modular Gen-II MBE systems. Please request whatever design details would be helpful and those will be shared. Please refer to CLIN 0003 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001.

Q.Eight (8). LEED is now mentioned twice in this solicitation. Do you require a single LEED (Qty. 1) to be quoted or are two LEEDs (Qty. 2) required to be included in the quote?

A.Eight (8). Only one (1) LEED system is required. It could realistically be located in either the hand-off/preparation chamber or in a separate UHV connected SPM tool. Please refer to CLIN 0003 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001.

Q.Nine (9). Please clarify “separate differential pumping capability” and define what pressures are expected to be maintained during sample cleaning.

A.Nine (9). Because atomic hydrogen cleaning requires gas flow input, there needs to be a dedicated high-capacity pumping capability to pump residual hydrogen (e.g., turbopump) to maintain a pressure of less than 1 X 10-5 Torr during hydrogen flow. The static base pressure when hydrogen isn’t flowing ought to be < 5 x 10-10 Torr, so an alternative second pumping method (e.g., ion pump with titanium getters, or cryopump) would seem appropriate. Please refer to CLIN 0003 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001.

Q.Ten (10). Should the vacuum suitcase just be the suitcase or should it include vacuum pumps? Please specify the type of pump and pressure required.

A.Ten (10). The suitcase itself shall have a small form-factor ion pump that operates from battery power to facilitate mobility and maintain a base pressure of > 5 x 10-9 Torr during transport. If the battery isn’t included, it shall be a battery that is easily procured. The interface between the vacuum suitcase and the UHV cluster tool should be designed to allow transfer of samples between the suitcase and the UHV cluster tool while maintaining a pressure of > 5 x 10-9 Torr during transfer. The pumps needed to enable the connection between the UHV cluster tool and the vacuum suitcase should be specified and included as an option. If the separate pumps needed to interface the suitcase and the UHV cluster tool are not included, then suitable make/model pumps that are commonly used should be identified and must be easily procured as a separate independent acquisition outside of this contracting opportunity. Please refer to CLIN 0003 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001.

Q.11. Details of the connection port (size, dimensions, shape) A.11. Please refer to schematic titled “attachment one (1) for salient characteristics”. The transfer tube is an 8-inch tube and can mate to other, not necessarily 8-inch tubes using an 8-inch conflat circular-shaped flange.

Q.12. Information on the sample holder and the existing sample transfer mechanism. Especially, how the half inch sample will be moved from the Veeco System to us (is it already there or do we or Veeco have to offer it). Do they have an adaptor or do they want us to provide one? Is a Veeco Transfer tool available to bring the sample to the handoff chamber? How large is the sample?

A.12. Please refer to schematic titled “attachment one (1) for salient characteristics”. An adapter is requested. It is preferred that a new transfer arm with a bayonette system to hold samples is supplied that accepts 3-inch platens from the trolley in the VEECO/Varian transfer tube and introduces them into the new cluster tool. It is preferred that a wobblestick mechanism be supplied that can be used to remove the small flag-style samples from a 3-inch molybdenum standard platen for measurement, and then used to re-insert the flag-style sample back into the 3-inch platen.

Q.13. Would Veeco be involved in any part of the integration or do we need to provide all components to enable smooth compatibility and integration in our proposal?

A.13. There is currently no contractual relationship between ARL and VEECO for the integration. If the proposers wish to design/provide their own custom equipment that adapts to the form and function of the existing VEECO equipment, then the design/dimensions/schematics of the VEECO systems will be made available. A teaming arrangement with VEECO would be equally as acceptable as a contractor choosing to perform all the work and supply the system themselves. Please refer to CLIN 0003 on the amended Salient Characteristics 0001.