950nm Tunable Laser

NIST-SS25-61

6695 / 334516

Title:  950nm Tunable Laser

Background/Purpose:

The Photonics and Optomechanics Group in Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division develops nanophotonic devices for applications in quantum sensing and position, navigation, and timing. As part of our research on nonlinear and quantum integrated photonics devices, we require a continuously tunable laser in the 950 nm wavelength band.  This 950 nm tunable laser will be used in characterization and operation of microresonator optical frequency conversion and parametric oscillation devices.

Minimum Requirements

The Contractor shall provide a Firm Fixed Price quotation for one (1) 950 nm tunable laser. This laser must meet or exceed the technical specifications listed below. All items must be new.  Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. Experimental, prototype, or custom items will not be considered.  The use of “gray market” components not authorized for sale in the U.S. by the proposer is not acceptable.   All line items shall be shipped in the original manufacturer’s packaging and include all original documentation and software, when applicable.

Technical Specifications:

The laser wavelength must be continuously tunable, without mode hops, from 920 nm to 990 nm or wider. The delivered product must include the necessary control electronics to set and scan/modulate the laser diode current and piezo voltage; the latter must enable >50 GHz laser frequency scans, without mode hops, and a resolution of 5 kHz or better. The laser should deliver >30 mW (with optical isolation) across its wavelength range. It should exhibit a short-term linewidth <10 kHz and integral linewidth <1 MHz. The controller must have an interactive touch screen for selecting operational modes, setting parameters, and visualizing signals at provided input ports. The laser wavelength must be tunable using a coarse motion stage, a piezoelectric motion stage, and the laser diode current. These tuning methods must be able to operate simultaneously. The laser and control electronics must meet or exceed the following specifications:

1. Mode-hop free wavelength range: 920-990 nm or wider
2. Output power: at least 30 mW across complete wavelength range and >60 mW at the optimal wavelength
3. Typical instantaneous linewidth: < 1 kHz
4. Typical integral linewidth: < 1 MHz
5. Typical short-term linewidth (5 us integration): < 10 kHz
6. Beam polarization: Linear > 100:1
7. Fiber coupling efficiency: > 50%
8. Optical isolation: > 60 dB
9. Piezo optical frequency scan range: > 50 GHz
10. Maximum wavelength scan speed: > 5 nm/s
11. Piezo modulation bandwidth: > 100 Hz
12. Diode current port modulation bandwidth: > 100 kHz
13. Locking capacity for side-of-fringe or top-of-fringe locking with two feedback channels and 30 kHz bandwidth

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE

In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Please include only the following information, readable in either Microsoft Word 365, Microsoft Excel 365, or .pdf format, in the response.  Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact listed at the bottom of this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice.

• Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI).
• Details about what your company is capable of providing that meets or exceeds NIST’s minimum requirements.
• Whether your company is an authorized reseller of the product or service being cited and evidence of such authorization.
• Identify any aspects of the description of the requirements in the BACKGROUND section above that could be viewed as unduly restrictive or create unnecessary barriers that adversely affect your firm’s ability to fully participate in a procurement for such services and explain why.  Please offer suggestions for how the requirements could be organized or structured to encourage the participation of small businesses.
• For the NAICS code

• Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business.  See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information.
• If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement. 

• If your firm has existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts for products or services against which the Department may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.

• Describe your firm’s experience (as a prime, subcontractor, or consultant) providing the products or services described in Background section.
• Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for the Government to know as part of its market research for this requirement.
• Please let us know if you would like to engage to get a better understanding of the requirement or need additional information about the Government’s requirement for the products or services described in the Background section. 

QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE

Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via email to the Primary Point of Contact and the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice. Questions should be submitted so that they are received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 25, 2025.  Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline.

IMPORTANT NOTES

The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that the NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future. 

This notice should not be construed as a commitment by the NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. 

This notice is not a request for a quotation. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotations.

No award will be made as a result of this notice. 

NIST is not responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.

NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and appropriate.

Thank you for taking the time to submit a response to this request.