66 -- Nanoindentation System

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for a commercial item prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number is RA1341-06-RP-0118 and is being issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-09. The NAICS code is 334519 and the small business size standard is 500 employees. This procurement is Full and Open Competition. Any amendment(s) hereto will only be published on the Federal Business Opportunities website. GENERAL STATEMENT The Materials Reliability Division (MRD) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a need for an instrument for making measurements known as Instrumented Indentation or Nanoindentation. In these measurements, a precisely-shaped diamond point or tip is applied to the surface of a material to be characterized. The force and displacement are recorded. The resulting record is analyzed to deduce values of the elastic modulus and hardness of the material. Modern microelectronic devices and the new nanotechnology rely on very small material bodies with distinct material properties. For example, in microelectronics, thin metal films on silicon wafer substrates often have thicknesses of 500 nanometers or less. The required instrument shall provide the appropriate range and resolution of the force and displacement measurement and control apparatus and systems, including hardware and software, to provide scientifically and technically useful characterization of such materials. Displacement sensitivities measured in picometers (1 meter divided by 1 followed by 12 zeroes) and force sensitivities in the nanoNewtons (1 Newton divided by 1 followed by 9 zeroes) are sought. The need is for a top-of-the-line, research-grade instrument. Clearly measuring and controlling such small forces and displacements requires apparatus carefully designed and constructed for stability and vibration-isolation. Useful scientific studies of materials often require control of the location where the indenter tip is applied to the surface, so that special features such as grain boundaries or grain interiors in metals can be studied. It is expected that any instrument purchased under this request for proposals will be equipped with a system for at least high-resolution optical imaging of the specimen surface before and after the indentation. NIST is interested in the capability of a contractor to provide advanced imaging capability, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), as a field upgrade to the Nanoindenter. Tests are performed under computer control; it is expected that any instrument purchased under this request for proposals will be equipped with a computer and the needed software and accessories necessary to perform the tests and provide full documentation, including force-displacement records and deduced elastic modulus and hardness values. The computer shall be fully compatible with the on-site computer network (see item #11). A complete instrument ready for use is sought; the instrument should be capable of being demonstrated upon receipt, by testing a specimen supplied by the manufacture or by NIST. Due to the unavailability of funds, NIST intends to purchase only the baseline Nanoindentation System, but requires the option to upgrade the system if funding should become available. Additionally, the baseline instrument shall be a stand-alone piece of equipment, not an add-on attachment to another piece of equipment. Because apparatus of the type sought has been sold commercially for some years now, NIST wants to be sure that it is purchasing an instrument that has the advantages of commercial experience built in. Therefore NIST has included some conditions to assure itself that the contractor is capable of supplying a highest-quality, research-grade instrument. General Conditions - Equipment shall be a current year production model and not a prototype or one-of-a-kind system. There shall be at least 5 working units of the proposed make and model operating currently in the field. - The temperature and vibration stability of the laboratory environment that is required to allow the instrument to meet its specifications shall be stated. Required utilities such as electrical power, compressed air, and running water shall be specified and shall be within the capabilities of a typical research laboratory environment. - Upon request, the contractor shall provide a demonstration to a representative of NIST, at a date and time to be agreed upon, at some location within the continental USA, of an instrument that meets the specifications as offered in the proposal prior to award of the contract. - The Contractor shall provide at least a one year warranty. - The Contractor is notified that the instrument will not be accepted, and will not be paid for, until after verification of the equipment capabilities. The verification testing will commence at the end of on-site installation and training. It is anticipated that the acceptance testing period will have a duration of 3 weeks. If adjustments to the equipment are needed to enable it to meet its specifications, the acceptance testing period will be extended accordingly. - The contractor shall have sufficient instrument service and repair capability accessible to NIST Boulder, so that repairs can be completed with a turnaround time of one week or less in the absence of unusual circumstances. - The contractor shall provide a minimum of one (1) day on-site installation and one (1) day on-site training. - Delivery shall be F.O.B. Destination (Boulder, CO) and shall occur within 90 days or less from receipt of contract award. EVALUATION CRITERIA Critical items for Baseline Instrument 1. Force Sensitivity, resolution, precision and accuracy. The basis for the specifications offered, e. g. traceability or use of standard measurement methods and specific reference specimens, shall be documented. A practical application of such an instrument's force sensitivity is the minimum detectable contact force. A specified value of the minimum detectable contact force, including documentation of how the value was obtained, is of interest. The practical force sensitivity is limited by the noise floor of an instrument. The noise floor of the instrument offered, defined as the smallest physically significant change in force that can actually be measured by the instrument, is of interest. Specification of the force noise floor should include documentation of the conditions under which it was measured; in particular, NIST would like to know what quality of laboratory environment, in terms of temperature and vibrational stability, is needed to achieve the specified values. Relevant quantities would include the upper limit of the rate of - drift of the indicated force value with time, the averaging time used externally or built into the instrumentation to achieve this value, and the frequency dependence of the force - noise. 2. Force Range. A range sufficient for indenting metal films is sought. Optional high-force capability is considered a non-priority item. If a - high force option is available, it should be listed and priced with the optional equipment, because high force is not viewed as critical for this purchase. 3. Displacement (as used in the force-displacement curve, meaning displacement perpendicular to the specimen surface) sensitivity, resolution, precision and accuracy. The basis for the specifications offered, e. g. traceability or use of standard measurement methods and specific reference specimens, shall be documented. The practical displacement sensitivity is limited by the noise floor of an instrument. The noise floor of the instrument offered, defined as the smallest physically significant change in displacement that can actually be measured by the instrument, is of interest. Specification of the displacement noise floor should include documentation of the conditions under which it was measured; in particular, NIST would like to know what quality of laboratory environment, in terms of temperature and vibrational stability, is needed to achieve the specified values. Relevant quantities would include the upper limit of the rate of - drift of the indicated displacement value with time, the averaging time used externally or built into the instrumentation to achieve this value, and the frequency dependence of the displacement - noise. If a correction for - machine compliance (as discussed in item 5 below) is used to reach the specified value of displacement accuracy during a normal instrumented indentation measurement, a brief statement of how the correction is applied and typical numerical values should be specified. If no such correction is needed, the verification that it is not needed should be documented. A displacement resolution less sensitive than 0.1 nanometer will not receive the full score for this item. 4. Displacement Range, up to a practical limit useful for the required measurements. A useful displacement range of at least 15 micrometers has been recommended by a NIST expert in this area. The useful displacement range of the instrument offered should be specified. 5. Stability of the indicated displacement value against changes in the imposed force. In instrumented indentation measurements, the relationship between: a) The amount of displacement of the sharp diamond tip into the specimen material; and b) The force applied to produce this displacement, is critical. Under certain conditions this relationship can be expressed as a - compliance, which is defined as a change in displacement divided by the change of the associated force. Depending on the particular design of the instrument, corrections for deflections of parts of the instrument itself that are produced by the imposed force may be necessary, because the - raw measured displacement value may be the sum of the desired displacement, which is the displacement of the tip into the specimen, and an extraneous displacement contributed by the deflection of the apparatus. These extraneous deflections are termed - machine compliance. The larger is this quantity, the greater is the possibility of measurement errors. The need for corrections for - machine compliance, or the absence thereof, should be documented in the proposal; specific methods and reference specimens used for this determination should be documented. In particular, the typical range of values of the - machine compliance should be documented if it comes into the typical measurement procedure used for instrumented indentation measurements. 6. Resolution and practicality of the imaging system, of whatever sort, built in to the instrument to preview the specimen surface to be indented and to measure the surface after indentation. An optical system with the capability to record digital still images at magnifications of at least several hundred is considered critical. Practical and workable interoperability of the imaging system with the placement of indents shall be documented. Priority is on capability to preview the specimen and accurately place the test indentations relative to pre-existing surface features (see item #7). NIST is aware of the possibility that this capability, particularly the acquisition and storage of digital images, may not be present on a - baseline instrument. However, NIST considers this capability to be crucial for a NIST instrument. NIST expects to purchase this capability and its cost will be considered to be part of the base cost of the instrument. It is likely that only an optical imaging option will be purchased initially. Therefore, the capability of the system to be retrofitted in the field at some later date with advanced imaging tools such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) will be considered. Sample images of a specimen surface and accompanying documentation of the time required to obtain them, and documentation of relevant other specific conditions of the imaging operation, shall be included with the proposal. Capability for scientifically useful post-indentation measurements of surface displacements is of interest and will be considered. Extra equipment needed to obtain the post-indentation measurement capability shall be listed with the optional equipment. The practicality, including cost, of adding this capability at a later date as a field upgrade should be specified. 7. Placement of test indentations relative to pre-existing surface features. These instruments typically move the specimen between one or more imaging stations and the indentation station. Accurate and reproducible motion is needed to accurately place test indentations relative to pre-existing surface features. The typical placement accuracy of which the instrument is capable shall be specified. If different grades of the specimen support and stationing systems (sometimes called, the moveable table) are available, the performance of the options available shall be specified in quantitative terms. Accuracy of placement within at least 2 micrometers is viewed as critical for the intended use of this instrument. NIST is aware that an optional - high-accuracy table may be offered by certain vendors. A high accuracy table, relative to its specified placement accuracy, shall be listed as an option. 8. Capability for measurement of mechanical response of the indenter-specimen contact under small force/displacement oscillations superposed on the main load, for sensitive detection of first contact and for measurement of the contact stiffness continuously along the load-displacement curve. This item includes consideration of the resonant frequency of the indenter head; high resonant frequency, up to a practical limit, would be preferred because measurements are made at frequencies well below the instrument's resonance. NIST is interested in the range of frequencies that can be used for such a measurement, particularly the higher frequencies. NIST is aware of the possibility that this capability may not be present on a baseline instrument. However, NIST considers this capability to be crucial. NIST expects to purchase this capability and its cost will be considered to be part of the base cost of the instrument. Instruments which do not offer this capability will not be considered for purchase. 9. Many specimens of interest to NIST will be mounted on standard SEM (scanning electron microscope) specimen stubs. Typically these have a pedestal with a diameter of 0.5 inch mounted on a stem with a diameter of 0.125 inch. The total height is about 0.5 inch plus a specimen which can be considered to be 0.1 inch thick. The compatibility of the offered instrument with such specimens shall be described. 10. Availability of replacement indenter tips, including the standard Berkovich geometry and non-standard tips such as spherical, cylindrical, square-pyramid, cube corner, etc. shall be documented. 11. Computer hardware and software supplied as part of the instrument shall be suitable for connecting to the NIST network. Microsoft Windows XP (trademark) is the most widely supported network operating system at NIST. 12. Items which may not be listed as part of the baseline instrument, but which we consider essential, are: a) video imaging, with digital image storage and archiving, of the specimen surface; and b) the capability of the instrument to superimpose on the main force small oscillations of force, and record the resulting oscillations in displacement, during an indentation. See critical items 6 and 8 above. Lower Priority Optional Items (to be priced separately) These items may be needed in the future. For the present purchase NIST wants to know about the availability of these items as future upgrades to the instrument. 12. Measurement at temperatures above and below room temperature of interest. Such temperature capability is not of primary interest for this purchase, and shall be listed with the optional equipment. 13. Horizontal displacement and force control and measurement capability, often used for scratch tests, is of interest, but is not of primary interest. If this capability is offered, it should be priced with the optional equipment. 14. Control options offered or available as future upgrades: displacement control, force control, and other if any. Advantages of multiple control options, beyond that needed to perform a basic indentation test, should be specifically described. FORMS AND CLAUSES Forms and clauses stipulated herein may be downloaded via the internet at the following address: http://wwwarnet.gov.far/. Interested parties are responsible for accessing and downloading documents and forms from that (or any other) site. Firms without access to the internet may call +1 (555) 000-0000 and request that copies of the clauses, provisions and/or forms be either mailed or faxed to them. Proposals shall include a properly completed and signed Standard Form 1449. The firm-fixed price shall include shipping and warranty. The following provisions and clauses are hereby incorporated by reference: FAR 52.212-1 (JAN 2006) (provision), Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-2 (JAN 1999) (provision), Evaluation-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-3 (MAR 2005) (provision) Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items. (NOTE: As of January 1, 2005, vendors will be required to use the Online Representations and Certifications (ORCA). The Help Section of the website at http://orca.bpn.gov includes ORCA background information, frequently asked questions, the ORCA Handbook and whom to call for assistance.; FAR 52.212-4 (SEPT 2005) (clause) Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-5 (APR 2006) (clause) Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes of Executive Orders-Commercial Items including the following additional FAR clauses referenced in FAR 52.212-5, Subparagraphs (b)(1), (5), (7), (9), (15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (20), (21), (26), (29) and (31). The type of contract resulting from this solicitation will be firm fixed price. Delivery of the Nanoindentation System shall occur within 90 days from the contract award date, FOB Destination (Boulder, CO 80305). The evaluation factors for this solicitation, listed in order of importance, are (1) Technical (2) Experience and Past Performance and (3) Price. Award will be made to the offeror presenting the best overall value to the Government. Non priced factors when combined, are significantly more important than price. Offerors shall submit 1 original and 3 copies of the entire proposal. In order that the Technical Proposal may be evaluated strictly on the merit of the material submitted, no contractual price information is to be included. The technical proposal format should follow the same organization as the EVALUATION CRITERIA. Offerors shall include three (3) references for experience and past performance. A separate Business Proposal shall be provided that includes the price. For further information, please contact Rhonda Nelson at +1 (555) 000-0000. PROPOSALS ARE DUE AT 3:00 P.M., June 15, 2006, and shall be mailed to Bid Depository/DOC, NOAA, MRAD, MC3, Acquisition Division, David Skaggs Research Center (DSRC), Room 33-GB506A, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305-3328. Please reference the Solicitation number on the outside of the package. All hand-carried bids must be scanned in Building 22, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO prior to being delivered to DSRC, Room 33-GB506A, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO. If the bids are not scanned, they may be refused. E-MAIL OR FACSIMILE OFFERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.