FAAPS No. 65238

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of providing an atomic layer deposition (ALD) system to support nanofabrication in the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) user facility.  The system will be sited and used as a shared resource accessible to researchers from industry, academia, NIST, and other government agencies in the CNST NanoFab.  The ALD system is a unique thin film deposition tool, which only deposit one atomic layer at one time. Based on the nature of the ALD process, the user can achieve ultra-thin and pin-hole free film, can control the film thickness precisely and can coat thin films on three-dimensional structures in various substrate materials. Applications include fabricating nano-semiconductor and nano-photonic devices. 

The NanoFab currently operates one ALD system at capacity, which currently has four sources.  The current ALD system cannot meet the demand requirements of NanoFab users as well as support for more thin film coating materials, such as metals, nitrides, and others, and more reliable process control. Thus, a new ALD system is required to be able to increase capacity of the existing system and to coat a larger variety of materials on different substrates of different materials, shapes, sizes, and thicknesses.  Broad precursor coverage, flexible process adjustment (temperature, pressure, power etc.), accurate precursor dose control, good coating uniformity, substrate plasma treatment and ALD precursor usage monitoring are the requirements for the new ALD system. 

1. General Description

As described above, this ALD system is a unique thin film deposition tool, which only deposit one atomic layer at one time. Based on the nature of the ALD process, the user can achieve ultra-thin and pin-hole free film, can control the film thickness precisely and can coat thin films on three-dimensional structures in various substrate materials. This new ALD system shall have broad precursor coverage, flexible process adjustment (temperature, pressure, power etc.), accurate precursor dose control, good coating uniformity, substrate plasma treatment and ALD precursor usage monitoring capabilities.

1. Tool configuration:

The system must be equipped with following components:

1. A load-lock that transfers the samples in and out of the process chamber.
2. A process chamber that is compatible with varied ALD precursor chemicals.
3. A process chamber that is capable to handle different plasma reactive gases.
4. A process chamber that is capable to do both thermal and plasma ALD processes.
5. An ICP source that operates from 0 to 600 W.
6. A substrate biasing capability.
7. A pumping system that is compatible with reactive chemistries and maintains a base pressure of 5x10-6 Torr.
8. An ALD precursor wight or volume monitoring capability.
9. Software that supports both manual and automatic operations.
10. Safety interlocks to keep users safe.

1. Wafer compatibility and wafer heating:
   1. The system shall be able to process substrates with various sizes including 75 mm, 100 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm substrate.
   2. The system shall be able to process SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, Ta2O5, HfO2, ZnO, AlN, TiN, HfN, SiNx, Pt and Ru.
   3. The system shall be able to process substrates from 50 °C to +400 °C.

1. Established process library:
   1. The system shall have established processes for coating SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, Ta2O5, HfO2, ZnO, AlN, TiN, HfN, SiNx, Pt and Ru.
   2. Established process documentation shall include process parameters such as ALD coating process conditions, physical properties and chemical composition analysis.

NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small businesses.

Companies that manufacture ALD system are requested to email a detailed report describing their abilities to forest.crumpler @nist.gov no later than the response date for this sources sought notice. The report should include achievable specifications 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 of the company that manufactures the system components for which specifications are provided. 2. Name of company(s) that are authorized to sell the system components, 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 systems. 4. Indication of whether each instrument 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 developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research.