High Reflectivity Mirror Coating Service

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, with FiveNine Optics, 4946 63rd Street, Boulder CO 80301 under the authority of FAR Part 13.106-1(b), for the procurement of High Reflectivity Mirror Coating.

NIST is developing a photon pressure force balance (PFB) requiring a high reflectivity mirror coating. The coating is used to minimize loss of optical power during the reflection of a high-power laser from the coating surface. The high reflectivity coating from FiveNine Optics has been demonstrated to be adequate for the project requirement for coating reflectivity and strain balancing to maintain low radius of curvature for the mirror surface. In addition, the high-reflectivity coating must be a drop-in replacement of the current mirror coatings used for the instrumentation the PFB is augmenting, as these instruments (for example, NIST SRI 6009 Radiation Pressure Power Meter (RPPM) are verified for traceability to NIST. Due to this traceability need a very specific set of requirements must be maintained in the high reflectivity coating. Obtaining a high reflectivity coating will ensure that NIST can develop the measurements required for the Quantum Initiative project Single Photon Traceability and Small Force Calibration with the required level of precision.

The FiveNine optics coatings are compatible with the existing NIST RPPM systems and have shown the ability to meet the extreme accuracy in these measurements and the safety concerns associated with such high laser powers. Furthermore, there is existing hardware designed to use this specific high-reflectivity coating so as to meet the technical requirements of the experiment at the required level of precision. The previous version of the RPPM shows that the FiveNine Optics high reflectivity coating is the only one demonstrated for realizing laser power at the 10 kW level in a fashion rigorously traceable to the SI.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 333314, and the size standard is 750 employees.

A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for quotations.  Interested parties that believe they can satisfy the requirements listed above must identify their capability in writing before the response date of this notice. Only responses received by 08/31/2021, 11:59 p.m., EST will be considered by the government. Responses shall be submitted via email to Barbara.suhrie@nist.gov. No telephone requests will be honored.