This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for market research purposes. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial vendors capable of providing an ion beam etching (milling) system in support of several on-going scientific and technical research projects in the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) NanoFab laboratory. The system will be sited and used in a multi-user facility. After the results of this market research are obtained and analyzed and specifications are developed for an ion beam etching system that can meet NIST's minimum requirements, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a Purchase Order. If at least two qualified small business manufacturers are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside. The system would need to meet the following requirements: 1. MATERIALS to be etched: Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Ir, Mn, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ta, W, Al2O3, SiO2, Si3N4, Ta2O5, TiO2 2. SUBSTRATE SIZE: System must be capable of handling substrates from small irregular shaped pieces up to and including 200mm wafer rounds with minimal retooling necessary 3. BASIC SPECIFICATIONS 3.1 Loadlock 3.2 Platen rotation: >25rpm 3.3 Platen tilt angle: -90° to +75° 3.4 Platen temperature: 10°C to 80°C 3.5 Ion source: 200-1000eV Kaufman, RF, 2-grid molybdenum preferred 3.6 SIMS end-point detection 3.7 Base pressure 8.0x10-8 Torr 3.8 >500 hours between servicing of ion source 3.9 Etching uniformity across wafer <5% [(max-min)/2mean] with a 10mm edge exclusion 4. OPTIONS Multi-wafer planetary 4-target sputtering capability 5. TECHNICAL SUPPORT is required including installation, as well as process development on milling SiO2, Au, Si3N4, etc. 6. OPERATING SOFTWARE: System operating software shall facilitate ease of instrument use since installed in a multi-user facility. Must be network compatible. NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small businesses. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 334516, as those domestic sources having 500 employees or less. Please include your company’s size classification in any response to this notice. Companies that manufacture these types of systems are requested to email a detailed report describing their abilities to [email protected] no later than the response date for this sources sought notice. The report should include achievable specifications, demonstrate etching and deposition capability on samples containing various features having sizes down to the tens of nm furnished by NIST, demonstrate prior systems that are currently installed and operating in multi-user type facilities, and any other information relevant to your product or capabilities. Also, the following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice: 1. Name and business size of the company that manufactures the system for which specifications are provided; 2. Name of company(ies) that are authorized to sell the systems, their addresses, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address); 3. Indication of number of days, after receipt of order that is typical for delivery of such flowmeters; 4. Indication of whether each system (including installation) for which specifications are sent to [email protected] are currently on one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts and, if so, the GSA FSS contract number(s); 5. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in finalizing its market research. All documentation must be sent to Carol A. Wood, Contract Specialist, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640. E-mail address: [email protected]. Submission must be received not later than 3:00 PM local time on February 25, 2010.

Bid Protests Not Available