Confocal Raman Chemical Imaging Microscopy System

SOURCES SOUGHT (SS) ON BEHALF OF THE COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND, CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL CENTER (DEVCOM CBC) - CONFOCAL RAMAN CHEMICAL IMAGING MICROSCOPY SYSTEM Type: Sources Sought Response Date: 11 August 2021, 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) INTRODUCTION The Army Contract Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Edgewood Contracting Division (ACC APG ECD) on behalf of the U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command, Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify potential sources having an interest and industry technologies available to provide a confocal raman chemical imaging microscopy system. BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET ASIDE FOR CERTIFIED SMALL BUSINESSES (IN FULL OR IN PART) OR MAY BE PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION. All Small Business set-aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. DISCLAIMER - THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THE RESULTS OF THIS MARKET RESEARCH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO DETERMININE THE METHOD OF PROCUEMENT. THIS IS NOT A - REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT. ACC ECD is seeking the following information from respondents: REQUIRED CAPABILITIES The Government requires a confocal Raman chemical imaging microscopy system for performing fast, high-resolution Raman chemical imaging microscopy in a chemical fume hood. Due to safety reasons, the operator must minimize the interaction with microscope inside the chemical hood and preferably limit interactions only to placing and removing the samples. The intent of this Sources Sought is to assess the state-of-the art of the technology available that could be applied to meet this requirement. The following requirement MUST be met: 1. The system will be used inside a chemical fume hood, and therefore it is required that the microscope body be separated from the lasers and spectrometers, which must be fiber coupled with the microscope body. Only the microscope body and its base support will be placed inside the hood. This is to eliminate the possibility of chemical contamination of those parts. The lasers, spectrometers, and associated electronics and miscellaneous components will be placed outside the chemical fume hood. Additional cables can be used to transmit electrical/data signals and power between the microscope in the fume hood and other components outside the fume hood. 2. The system will be controlled via an included Windows 10 PC with monitor. Software for control of the instrument will be included. The software will also provide a suite of analysis tools including spectral filtering and baseline correction, spectral math, chemical component identification, and chemical image visualization. 3. The system will include an optical microscope with motorized control and software selection between a minimum of 6 possible objective slots. The motorized system will also switch between white light and Raman spectroscopy measurements, and have motorized control of the field and aperture stops. This will reduce the interaction of an operator with the microscopy assembly. 4. The microscope will have motorized xyz stage control via software. The z height control should have a step resolution of 10 nm or less, and a minimum total range of 25 mm. The xy control should have a minimum range of 50 mm x 50 mm. The step size for x and y should be 25 nm or less. 5. The microscope will additionally have a piezo-driven stage cascaded on the main xyz stage. This should have a minimum range of 100 microns x 100 microns in x and y, and 20 microns in z. The resolution of this stage should be better than 0.5 nm in all dimensions. 6. The system will have lasers with the following laser excitation wavelengths: 532 nm, 633 nm, 785 nm, and 1064 nm. The system will have software-controlled, motorized switching between the laser wavelengths. The lasers shall be coupled into the microscope using single mode, polarization maintaining fibers. Each laser shall have a single longitudinal mode. The lasers shall have the following minimum power outputs: 532 nm, 50 mW; 633 mm, 25 mW; 785 nm, 250 mW; 1064 nm, 400 mW. The system will be able to select the different lasers for coupling to the microscope via software computer control. The laser coupling, signal collection coupling, and signal optimization alignment shall be automated under computer control. 7. The system will have the capability to automatically control and measure the laser power for each of the lasers via computer software. This should be able to control the power with a precision of 0.1 mW for each laser. 8. The system will have an integrated calibration lamp that can be controlled via software and can automatically calibrate the wavelengths of the spectrometers used. 9. Spectrometers used for each of these systems shall be optimized for the corresponding wavelengths. The spectrometers for the laser pairs of 532 nm/633 nm or 633 nm/785nm lasers may be shared. Each spectrometer will include a minimum of two gratings allowing for wide wavelength range and high spectral resolution, respectively. The spectrometer for 532 nm/633 nm will be optimized for sensitivity between 500-800 nm. The spectrometer for 633 nm/785 nm will be optimized for sensitivity between 630-1100 nm. The spectrometer for 1064 nm will be optimized for sensitivity between 1000-1600 nm. The system will be able to switch between the different spectrometers via computer software control with automated optimization and alignment. 10. The cameras used for performing the spectroscopy measurements will be back-illuminated charge-couple device (CCD cameras) (532 nm, 633 nm, and 785 nm) or Indium-Gallium-Arsenide (InGaAs) CCD cameras (1064 nm) and optimized for each of the individual wavelengths. The same camera may be used for the pairs of 532 nm/633 nm or 633 nm/785nm lasers. The camera will be an electron-multiplying CCD (EM-CCD) for 532 nm/633 nm with a minimum quantum efficiency > 90% at 500 nm with readout up to 1300 spectra/second and thermoelectric cooling to -60 C or below. For 633 nm/785 nm the camera will be a back-illiuminated CCD with a quantum efficiency of >95% at 800 nm and thermoelectric cooling to <60 C. For 1064 nm the camera will be an InGaAs CCD sensor with quantum efficiency >80% from 1000-1600 nm and thermoelectric cooling to <-70 C. The system will be able to switch between the different cameras via computer software control with automated optimization and alignment. 11. The system shall include minimum of three microscope objectives with magnifications of 10X, 50X, and 100X that are usable for performing Raman spectroscope with all the laser wavelengths included. The objectives will have minimal fluorescence with all laser wavelengths, optimum flatness of field, and low chromatic aberration. 12. The system will include laser line filters and Rayleigh scattering rejection filters for all laser wavelengths that will allow for measuring spectral lines down to 10 cm-1. 13. The system will include the capability for real time tracking of and auto-focusing on the topography of a surface allowing for Raman imaging of rough, uneven, or curved surfaces. A surface of up to 15 degree inclination should be able to stay in focus for Raman imaging analysis 14. The system will include software that allows for automated targeting of particles in the brightfield images, and subsequent measurement and identification of the particle Raman spectra. 15. The system will include software for performing automated library matching of measured spectra with user created spectral databases as well as optional commercial databases. 16. The system will include a programming interface allowing for extension of the supplied software via external programming environments such as Labview. 17. The system will include an active vibration isolation system to reduce vibrations of the microscope in the chemical fume hood. The system will actively dampen vibrations from 1-1000 Hz, and passively damped higher frequency vibrations 18. The system will include laser safety shield to bring it to laser safety class 1M or better. The system will automatically block the laser beam when the shielding is opened. 19. Shipping, installation, and on-site training in use of the instrument will be required. The Contractor will be responsible for shipping the system to the following delivery address: APG, MD 41010 20. Maintenance, Inspection and Repair. Warranties: 12 months workmanship, limited to replacement, repair or an appropriate refund. For specified Lasers warranty is limited to operating hours. 12 months software support including user course training. 12 months onsite technical support for the instrumentation. -QTY One (1) Maintenance Manual -One Year (12 months) Warranty Coverage -One Year (12 months) Phone Assistance SPECIAL REQUIREMENT The contractor shall be required to comply with any security classifications that will be applicable to this requirement. Any resulting contract shall be compliant with the specialty metals restriction of the Berry Amendment (10 U.S.C. 2533a and 2533b) in accordance with DFARS clauses 252.225-7008 and 252.225-7009. ELIGIBILITY The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 334516 with a Small Business Size Standard of 1000 employees. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 6640. SUBMISSION DETAILS Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist in either Microsoft Word or Portable Document Format (PDF), via email Sheila.l.ramos2.civ@mail.mil or the Contracting Officer at brian.e.mazen.civ@mail.mil no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on 11 August 2021 and reference this synopsis number in subject line of e-mail and on all enclosed documents. Information and materials submitted in response to this request WILL NOT be returned. FORMAT If your organization has the potential capacity to provide the required products/systems, please submit a brief capabilities statement package in accordance with the format detailed below, demonstrating the ability to provide the products/systems listed in this Technical Description. No phone or email solicitations with regards to the status of the RFP will be accepted prior to its release. Respondents are responsible for clearly identifying proprietary information. Responses containing proprietary information must clearly mark each page containing such information with a label such as - Proprietary or - Company Proprietary. DO NOT INCLUDE ANY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN THE SS RESPONSE. Cover Sheet (1 page): Please provide the following information: a. Response Title b. Technical point of contact name, organization, type of ownership for the organization, website address (if applicable), telephone number, address and email address Indicate the Topic Area(s) addressed by the response 2. Technical Description in bullet format addressing the requirements of this notice, with appropriate documentation supporting the ability to provide the products/systems listed in the technical Description of this announcement. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. 3. References (2 pages) 4. Graphic Overview Slide (Optional): If desired, include a single PowerPoint slide that graphically depicts the main ideas of the response. QUESTIONS OR REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION Only electronically submitted questions and requests for clarifications regarding this announcement will be accepted. No telephone calls regarding this SS will be accepted. Written questions and requests for clarification shall be submitted to the following email address: Contract Specialist at Sheila.l.ramos2.civ@mail.mil or the Contracting Officer at brian.e.mazen.civ@mail.mil no later than 3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) 06 August 2021. All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government.