Inductively Coupled Etching System

Argonne National Laboratory, procuring on behalf of the Department of Energy Office of Science, seeks quotations for one Inductively Coupled Etching System with atomic layer etching capabilities, with responses due May 26, 2026. Award will be made on a Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable basis. No set-aside applies.

Place of performance is Lemont, Illinois. The system must support precision plasma etching of diamond thin films, quantum materials, compound semiconductors, and refractory metals, with load-lock architecture, substrate electrode temperature control from approximately −20°C to 200°C, support for 3-inch, 4-inch, and 6-inch wafers, ICP plasma source at 13.56 MHz (nominally 1 kW), bias RF power at 13.56 MHz (nominally 300 W), and turbomolecular pumping capacity nominally 1300 L/s. Delivery is nominally within eight months of order acceptance. The contractor must provide five days of onsite installation and training by qualified engineers, with work performed at the contractor's facility for design and fabrication and at Argonne for delivery, installation, startup, and acceptance testing.

Quotations must include firm pricing with Net 15 payment terms and 100 percent upon completion and acceptance. Domestic orders ship F.O.B. Destination with all costs included in the quoted price. Foreign offerors must accept Incoterms DAP and provide HTS codes. Country of Origin must comply with Buy American requirements, with components mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States exceeding 65 percent of total component costs for 2024–2028 deliveries.

Contractors performing on-site work must maintain General Liability of $2,000,000 per occurrence, Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit, and Workers Compensation at statutory limits, with all policies naming UChicago Argonne, LLC and the United States Government as additional insureds. Contractors must comply with 10 CFR 851 Worker Safety and Health Program requirements, submit a Job Safety Analysis prior to work commencement, and designate a qualified Foreperson present during all work. Procurement documents include ANL-71-COM Terms and Conditions for Commercial Items and Services and ANL-366M Moderate Risk On-Site Supplemental Conditions. Contact: Molly Hunter, mollyhunter@anl.gov or (630) 252-3094.