Combined SSN/NOI: Notice of Intent to Noncompetitively Acquire Tilt Stage for SEM

THIS IS A COMBINED SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

Announcement Number: NIST-SS26-CHIPS-120

Subject: Notice of Intent to Noncompetitively Acquire Tilt Stage for SEM

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 RFO 12.102(a). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing.

NIST intends to award a non-competitive contract to Kleindiek, Inc. for a tilt stage for NIST’s Zeiss Supra SEM.

BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division (MND) develops integrated microsystems by advancing the state of the art in nanofabrication, enabling the transfer of NIST measurement technologies to the industrial, academic, and government communities.

The MND owns a Zeiss Supra SEM that serves CHIPS Metrology project GC6.01 – Universal Microscopy Standards. To meet mission-critical requirements, the MND needs to procure a tilt-stage upgrade for this microscope. This acquisition will provide the Division and CHIPS Metrology with essential capabilities for calibration and measurement method development, assessment of nanofabrication processes, and characterization of microscopy standards.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a critical tool for semiconductor manufacturing metrology. NIST is developing standards and methods for calibrating the landing angle of an electron beam in scanning electron microscopy. Such calibration is critical to ensure dimensional accuracy for a variety of metrology applications, such as overlay assessment. The standards consist of arrays of nanostructures, the images of which exhibit features that depend on the relative angle of the electron beam and the sample, and the nanostructure geometry. The realization of standards that are fit for dissemination requires careful decoupling of all sources that affect the measurement of the electron beam landing angle. These sources include the angle of the electron beam, the orientation of the sample in the SEM, and the nanostructure geometry. In particular, assessment of the effects of fabrication processes on nanostructure geometry requires control over the orientation of the sample relative to the electron beam in all three Euler angles. Such control is not possible with the current stage installed on the Zeiss Supra SEM, requiring a stage upgrade to access the additional degrees of freedom. Without this ability, a primary objective of the project to deliver standards for electron beam goniometry to stakeholders cannot be realized.

 The minimum requirements are outlined below.

Line Item 0001:

Line Item 0001:

Description:  Tilt stage for a Zeiss Supra SEM

Quantity:  1

1. Technical Specifications
   
   1. The tilt stage must function as a substage attachment that can be routinely installed and uninstalled from the existing microscope stage depending on experimental requirements.
   2. The tilt stage must provide sample rotation about an axis that is perpendicular to the existing tilt axis of the SEM stage
      1. The tilt axis must have an encoder
      2. Encoder absolute accuracy must be better than 0.5 degrees
      3. Encoder resolution must be better than 0.2 degrees
      4. Rotational travel about the tilt axis must be at least plus and minus 90 degrees
   3. The tilt stage must have a translation axis that is perpendicular to the sample plane (z), enabling a sample to be positioned at the eucentric height of the tilt axis.
      1. Translation in z must have a resolution better than 2 nm
   4. The tilt stage must have a rotational degree of freedom to rotate the sample in the sample plane.
      1. Rotation must have a resolution of better than 0.05 degrees
2. Control specifications
   1. The tilt stage shall be dynamically controllable during operation of the SEM
   2. The tilt stage shall include control electronics to connect to a computer system running Windows OS
   3. The tilt stage shall include control software compatible with Windows OS

To meet mission-critical requirements, CHIPS Metrology project 6.01 - Universal Microscopy Standards needs to procure a tilt stage upgrade for a Zeiss Supra SEM. This upgrade is necessary to enable dynamic control over sample orientation relative to the microscope during imaging. This capability is necessary for the development of calibration methods for electron beam landing angle, to provide measurement feedback for fabrication process development, and to characterize microscopy standards.

Only Kleindiek, Inc. is able to provide a tilt stage upgrade for a Zeiss Supra SEM that enables (1) dynamic control over sample orientation in all three Euler angles; and (2) operation during imaging.

Meeting these requirements is critical for the development and dissemination of microscopy standards for measurement and calibration of electron beam landing angle. These standards are based on a parallax effect when imaging conical structures with an electron beam, and assessment of the symmetry of the structures is crucial. In developing fabrication methods for such standards, samples must be leveled relative to the electron beam in order to assess sidewall symmetry across replicate patterns, wafers, and batches. Prior to dissemination of standards, structure sidewall angle must be characterized to ensure subsequent calibrations properly decouple any effects of the standard itself from the microscopy system being used to measure the standard. Sample leveling will be accomplished by analyzing SEM micrographs in real time and adjusting sample orientation with high fidelity. Such assessment and adjustment is not possible with sample stages that must be manually set and reset outside of the SEM vacuum chamber.

Kleindiek, Inc. is the only manufacturer that provides a stage that can be controlled electronically while mounted inside the SEM and during active imaging. Other vendors can only offer sample stages that are manually adjusted prior to loading into the SEM vacuum chamber and thus sample orientation cannot be modified during imaging. Kleindiek, Inc. does not have any authorized resellers.

NIST conducted market research from March 2026 through May 2026 by conducting online searches and discussions with sources to determine what sources could meet NIST’s minimum requirements.  The results of that market research revealed that only KLEINDIEK, INC., 3526 3RD ST N, ARLINGTON, VA 22201, United States, UEI: CZ7ADELZDL61 appears to be capable of meeting NIST’s requirements.

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE

In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Include only the following information provided below.  Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact no later than 5/22/65, 5:00pm ET.

1. Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI).
2. Details about what your company is capable of providing that meets or exceeds NIST’s minimum requirements (Capability Statement).
3. Whether your company is an authorized reseller of the product or service being cited and evidence of such authorization.
4. Identify any aspects of the description of the requirements in the BACKGROUND section above that could be viewed as unduly restrictive or create unnecessary barriers that adversely affect your company’s ability to provide a technically acceptable product.    Please offer suggestions for how the requirements could be organized or structured to encourage the participation of small businesses.
5. For the NAICS code
   1. Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business.  See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information.
   2. If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement. 
6.  your firm has existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts for products or services against which the Department may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.
7. Describe your company’s experience (as a prime, subcontractor, or consultant) providing the products or services described in Background section.
8. Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for the Government to know as part of its market research for this requirement.
9. Contact the primary and/or secondary point of contact (provided below) if you would like to engage in discussions to gain a better understanding of the requirement or need additional information about the Government’s requirement for the products or services described in the Background section (provided above).

QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE

Questions regarding this notice must be submitted via email to the Primary Point of Contact and the Secondary Point of Contact. Questions must be submitted so that they are received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on 5/19/26 to receive a government response prior to the close of this notice. Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline.

IMPORTANT NOTES

1. The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that the NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future. 
2. This notice should not be construed as a commitment by the NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. 
3. This notice is not a request for a quotation. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotations.
4. No award will be made as a result of this notice. 
5. NIST is not responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.
6. NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and appropriate.