Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs)

This is a Notice of Proposed Contract Action under FAR Part 12 Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services, and FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.  This notice is for information only; a solicitation will not be issued. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION. No contract will be awarded on the basis of offers received in response to this notice. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees.
 

The Government requires the procurement of two Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector (SNSPDs), and intends to negotiate a sole-source award for this requirement with Photon Spot, Inc., 142 W Olive Ave, Monrovia, CA, 91016-3410. Relevant Photon Spot, Inc. part numbers and product descriptions for the required SNSPDs are as follows:

Item 1, qty. 2 each – Part #: DETNW1FC.WL1550.FSMF28.SDE80.SDCR5.DT120.TJ100

• WSi Single-Element Nanowire Detector, 1550nm with ultra-low dark counts
• Nanowire detector fiber-coupled to SMF28e+ fiber
• System Detection Efficiency @ 1550nm: >80% for TE polarization
• Recovery time: < 120ns
• Dark counts @ max SDE: < 5cps
• Jitter, FWHM: < 100ps

Item 2, qty. 1 each – Part #: DELRTC100

• Detector Electronics chassis, 4-slot
• Chassis with low-noise DAC for supplying bias current operating amplifiers
• external linear power supply
• 4 available module slots
• Biascontrol3 software for controlling bias currents to detectors

Item 3, qty. 1 each – Part #: DELRTC100-RT-EL-2

• Bias-tee & Amplifier module, 2 channel
• Slide-in module including 2 sets of bias- tee and room-temp LNAs

Item 4, qty. 1 each – Part #: CRX1208

• Components for customer cryostat
• Fiber feedthrough with light-tight enclosure for customer’s cryostat.
• Included fibers:
  • 4x SMF28e+ fibers, bare/unjacketed.
  • on vacuum side: unterminated, 2m long
  • on air side: 4x FC/APC connectors, uncoated

The Government has determined that other companies' products and services do not meet or cannot be modified to meet the Government's needs.  Previously, in 2023, RITQ purchased two custom SNSPD setups from Photon Spot, Inc., which are installed and operational in existing dilution refrigerators for quantum network demonstrations.  Mostly recently, RITQ has procured a third dilution refrigerator, which requires an SNSPD setup similar to those in the two existing dilution refrigerators.  As RITQ researchers have already spent approximately 300 personnel hours creating custom software to integrate Photon Spot, Inc. branded SNSPDs into their quantum network experiments, it is imperative that the additional SNSPDs be of the same brand in order minimize duplication of effort in terms of personnel hours that have already been invested into creation of such software.  Interchanges with Photon Spot, Inc. have yielded that they do not maintain a network of resellers for their products and are the sole-source provider.  For these reasons, the Government has determined Photon Spot, Inc. to be the sole-source provider of the required SNSPDs.

This is a notice of proposed contract action and not a request for competitive proposals; however, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement or proposal, which shall be considered by the agency. All inquiries should be sent by email to cody.owens.4@us.af.mil. Responses must be submitted by the date/time listed on the notice. Any response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government in future procurements.

Responses received will be evaluated; however, a determination by the Government not to compete the proposed procurement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government anticipates an award date on or before 15 May 2025.

A Sole Source Justification will be attached to the subsequent Notice of Award in accordance with applicable regulation.