Two Photon Polymerization Laser Lithography (2PPLL) 3D Printer System

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION OR AN INDICATION THAT A CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENT WILL EXIST AS A RESULT OF THIS RFI. This Sources Sought Notice (SSN) is in support of market research and procurement planning being conducted by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Washington, DC. This SSN is for informational and planning purposes only and does not guarantee that this will be competed via SAM.GOV. The Government assumes NO financial responsibility for any costs incurred. A solicitation package is not available at this time.

Contracting Office Address: NRL, 4555 Overlook Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20375

OBJECTIVE: The intent of this RFI is to gauge industry interest and search for potential sources capable of fulfilling a requirement for a two photon polymerization laser lithography (2PPLL) 3D printer system in accordance with the following technical requirements. The Government is currently in the planning stages for this procurement and may continue to modify the language within the requirement as necessary. These specifications do not necessarily represent the final specifications.

Technical Description: The Naval Research Laboratory has a requirement for a two photon polymerization laser lithography (2PPLL) 3D printer system that is optimized for printing optical components such as metalenses and 3D-metamaterials.

Two Photon Polymerization Laser Lithography (2PPLL) 3D Printer System must consist of the following components and shall meet or exceed the following minimum specifications:

1. The 2PPLL system shall be capable of producing 3D printed structures using the 2-photon polymerization process.
2. The 2PPLL shall use a 780 nm femtosecond pulsed laser to achieve 2-photon polymerization.
3. The 2PPLL shall be capable of printing 3D surfaces with roughnesses below 10 nm.
4. The 2PPLL shall be capable of printing on wavers up to 6” in diameter without using a resin bath
5. The 2PPLL shall include optical focusing elements that are index matched to resins
6. The 2PPLL shall be able to print at least 200 microns below the substrate surface
7. The 2PPLL shall include automated processes to find print surface interfaces and the process shall be compatible with a wide range of materials including glass, Si, SiC, InP, and GaSb.
8. The 2PPLL shall be able to print structures that are aligned to alignment marks on silicon substrates with < 600 nm accuracy.
9. The 2PPLL shall include the ability for the end-user to control laser power.
10. The 2PPLL system shall be able to 3D-print structures with a lateral resolution less than 200 nm.
11. The 2PPLL system shall have a sample positioning stage with translation that allows for a print volume of at least 50 x 50 x 20 mm^3 and must be able to position the sample with accuracy less than 500 nm
12. The 2PPLL system shall have optical components and hardware capable of switching between micro-scale and mm-scale printing with the following specs:
    1. The 2PPLL system shall include a micro-scale printing mode that has a calibrated print field with a diameter of at least 250 microns, a print-field to print-field position accuracy of less than 500 nm, and a print speed (using a high speed galvo mirror) within the write field of at least 100 mm/s
    2. The 2PPLL system shall include a mm-scale printing mode that has a calibrated print field diameter of at least 700 microns and a print-field to print-field position accuracy of less than 750 nm, and a print speed (using a high speed galvo mirror) within the write field of at least 300 mm/s
    3. The 2PPLL system shall have the ability to switch between these two print modes without having to remove optical components from the system
13. The 2PPLL system shall include at least one in-situ camera that shall provide a live view of printing
14. The 2PPLL system shall include at least one camera that shall provide a live view of the whole sample stage, sample, and optical element positioning
15. The 2PPLL system shall include an integrated display that provides all 2PLL control and monitoring functionality.
16. The 2PPLL system shall include a separate PC that shall be used for generating print files. This computer shall also be capable of controlling and viewing the printing process.
17. The 2PPLL system shall include at least ten perpetual licenses of software required for generating user-defined 3D structures to be printed. The software shall include all slicers required for printing, with the capability of controlling print characteristics including laser power, laser scan speed. The software shall be capable of importing and including stl models that are generated in external CAD software and shall provide 3D print previews.
18. The 2PPLL shall include a high-stability base that contains vibration damping
19. The 2PPLL shall be compatible with IP-DIP and IP-L photoresins.
20. The 2PPLL shall be compatible with class 100 cleanrooms
21. The 2PPLL shall include a 1-year service contract that ensures unlimited technical support in the event of device failure, software updates, and at least one maintenance visit.

CONTRACTOR RESPONSE FORMAT: Interested parties, at a minimum, shall supply all of the below required information in a Capability Statement. (Reference RFI N00173-25-RFI- MF04 in your response)

1. CONTACT INFORMATION:

   •  Company Name and Address
   •  Point of Contact for questions/clarification
   •  Telephone Number and e-mail address
   •  DUNS Number, CAGE Code
   •  PSC Code of the proposed solution (SEE https://psctool.us)
   •  Business Size/Socioeconomic Categories
2. TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
   • List of capabilities/resources relevant to the above specification list.
3. COMMERCIALITY OF PROPOSED ITEM
   • Whether item(s) offered/proposed is a commercial item and is customarily used by the general public or non-government entities for the other than Government purposes.
   • Whether the item has been sold, leased, or licensed to the general public, and if so, identify one or more such sales, leases, or licenses to document the commerciality of the item.
4. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
   • Provide a description of how the proposed product will meet or exceed each of the specifications as it is anticipated that ultimate evaluation will be lowest priced technically acceptable and a go/no go basis.
   • Provide a product brochure and highlight the areas that meet or exceed specifications.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT DETAILS:

Responses should be no more than 10 pages.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: NRL-DC and Contractor Facility