NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE for Closed-Cycle Optical Cryostat
Subject: NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE for Closed-Cycle Optical CryostatSolicitation Number: NB683120-24-00668Notice Type: SNOTENAICS: 334516Notice Published: 01-05-24Response Due: 01-17-24Agency: Department of CommerceOffice: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGYContact: Nina Lin This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Office Address: GAITHERSBURG, MD 20899Place of Performance: Gaithersburg, MD 20899
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Notice of Intent to Noncompetitively acquire a closed-cycle optical cryostat with integrated microscope objective and scanning stages. This notice is not a request for a quotation. A solicitation document will not be issued, and quotations will not be requested. This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Nanoscale Spectroscopy Group within the Nanoscale Device Characterization Division (NDCD) requires one (1) closed-cycle optical cryostat with integrated temperature-stabilized microscope objective and closed-loop nanopositioning stages. This acquisition will enable new capabilities in electroluminescence and photoluminescence spectroscopies of atomic-scale point defects in solids. The optical cryostat will be used to characterize novel semiconductor materials, nanostructures, and devices, such as color centers in silicon and diamond, by electro- and photoluminescence. This involves characterization of color centers via electroluminescence and photoluminescence spectroscopies down to the single entity limit. The low light levels to be encountered place stringent requirements on temperature, vibration, positional accuracy, and microscope objective incorporation. The work will utilize samples of different material classes which emit light from the visible to shortwave infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The cryostat must be configured or adjustable for high optical throughput over this range. A tunable electromagnet is required to study spin-dependent level-splitting. A short time to cool to base temperature is required for rapid sample screening. The cryostat will be used in an established laboratory at NIST on a pre-existing optical table that also holds equipment for spectroscopic measurements. This constrains the size and configuration of the instrument. Accordingly, the optical cryostat must meet the following minimum specifications: 1. The cryostat must not require an external source of liquid helium. 2. The cryostat must allow the sample temperature to be varied from < 4 K to 350 K. 3. The cryostat must have a cooling power at the sample of at least 100 mW. 4. The cryostat must have an integrated vacuum pump. 5. The cryostat must have software-controlled temperature control. 6. The sample temperature stability must be 10 mK or better. 7. The platform vibrational stability must be 5 nm or better in all dimensions. 8. The sample space must be at least 50 mm in diameter. 9. The time to reach base temperature (< 4K) from room temperature must be 2 hours or less. 10. The sample position change with temperature change must be <1 micrometer per degree K. 11. The cryostat must include 5 fused silica windows, four oriented to allow the beam to enter the sample space horizontally and the fifth to allow the beam to enter the sample space from above and enter the microscope objective. 12. The side windows must have an acceptance angle of at least 60 degrees with the sample at the center of the chamber. 13. The cryostat must include integrated microscope objectives optimized for visible and shortwave infrared wavelengths. 14. The microscope objectives numerical aperture must be 0.75 or greater. 15. The microscope objectives must be temperature stabilized independent of the sample temperature. 16. The cryostat must include a 3 axis nanopositioner system for the sample with at least 5 mm travel and 100 nm closed-loop resolution or better. 17. The cryostat must include at least 10 DC and 2 AC (GHz) electrical connections at the sample with appropriate feedthroughs. 18. The cryostat must include a tunable electromagnet with a magnetic field at the sample of 0.5 Tesla or greater. 19. The cryostat must be usable on a pre-existing 4 foot by 10 foot optical table. NIST conducted market research in September 2023 to January 2024 to determine what sources could potentially meet NISTs minimum requirements. This included searches on GSA, Unicor, Thomas Register, System for Award Management (SAM); surveying vendor websites; speaking with subject matter experts inside and outside of NIST; and issuance of a Sources Sought Notice on SAM.gov. Market research identified several manufacturers that produce closed cycle optical cryostats, but only one provides one that can meet all the required specifications. The results of market research revealed that only Montana Instruments Corporation (UEI: UPLFDS3YE7W9) appears to be capable of meeting NISTs requirements. However, any sources that believe they are capable of meeting NISTs minimum requirements are encouraged to respond to this notice by the response date to provide the following information at a minimum: Company Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number in https://sam.gov; details about what your company is capable of providing that meets or exceeds NISTs minimum requirements; whether your company is an authorized reseller of the product or service being cited and evidence of such authorization; and any other information that can help NIST determine whether this requirement may be competitively satisfied. 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. Only responses received by the offers due date and time of this notice will be considered by the government. Responses shall be submitted via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..