Vacuum Chamber Slit and Hardware

The Department of Energy Office of Science seeks procurement of a vacuum chamber slit and associated hardware, with proposals due August 24, 2026. The procurement requires a domestic source, with country of origin and all raw materials sourced from the USA.

Place of performance is Lemont, Illinois. The vacuum chamber slit must meet detailed technical specifications including a maximum aperture of 7 mm × 7 mm with minimum full overlap, aperture resolution of 0.813 microns per full step, translation resolution of 0.322 microns per full step, repeatability under 1 micron, and accuracy of 3 microns over 3 mm. The unit must provide vacuum O-ring sealing at 10⁻⁵ mbar with low outgassing materials, feature standard 2 mm thick tungsten carbide blades with a 2-degree knife-edge profile, and include limit switches, high-precision internal rails and carriages, and 2-phase stepping motors. Mechanical dimensions are 145 mm × 145 mm × 80 mm with M6-threaded holes and KF-40 flange connections; weight is 1.6 kg. The procurement includes 10 meters of cables between the customer feedthrough and controller. Common options for other blade shapes, materials, and flange adaptors (KF50 or CF40) are available.

The NAICS code is 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing; PSC code is 6640, Laboratory Equipment and Supplies. Argonne National Laboratory's standard terms and conditions apply per Appendix A effective October 22, 2025. Representations and certifications must be completed using the ANL form (ANL-70A Reps and Certs), with thresholds at $10,000 for Buy American Act certification and $150,000 for anti-lobbying certifications. The laboratory retains intellectual property rights; data may not be used to train AI models without reasonable security standards, and contractors must comply with cybersecurity frameworks including SOC2, PCI-DSS, HITRUST, and NIST standards.