Continuously Tunable Laser System

This is a Notice of Proposed Contract Action under RFO Part 12 Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Notice is for information only; a solicitation will not be issued. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION. No contract will be awarded on the basis of offers received in response to this notice. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334413 (Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing) with a small business size standard of 1,250 Employees.

The Government requires the purchase of Continuously Tunable Laser System, and intends to negotiate a sole-source award for this requirement with Toptica Photonics, Inc., 1120 Pittsford Victor Rd. Pittsford, NY 14534. Applicable Toptica Photonics, Inc. part numbers are as follows:

-           DLC CTL 1320

-           SUR SPECIAL CTL

-           FD2

-           DLC BOOSTA PRO HP

-           OK-001362

-           FIBERDOCK BOOSTA IN

-           FD2 HP

The Government has determined that other companies' products do not meet or cannot be modified to meet the Government's needs.  Toptica Photonics, Inc. is the only known commercial vendor capable of offering products that meet the Government's following essential requirements:

Item 1 – Continuously Tunable Laser with all-digital control electronics

• Wavelength tuning: 1290 - 1370 nm or wider, no mode-hops through 1350 nm
• Output power: > 13 mW from single mode fiber over the wavelength range, max power output above 20 mW
• Optical isolation: at least 50 dB
• Scan speed: at least 10 nm/sec or faster
• Absolute wavelength accuracy: 130 pm or more accurate through 1350 nm
• Relative wavelength accuracy: 10 pm or more accurate through 1350 nm
• Instantaneous linewidth: narrower than 1 kHz
• Short term linewidth: less than 10 kHz
• Piezo scan: at least 35 GHz
• Piezo step size: 5 kHz or less
• Output beam with above power characteristics: TEM00 mode
• AC and DC current modulation of laser
• Electronics Reqs:
  • Lowest noise and drift & high resolution current driver
  • Temp controller
  • Piezo controller
  • FPGA electronics for digital scanning, locking and relocking, FFT, and output power stabilization
  • Data recording
  • Graphical interface and command interface, interfaces with computers

Item 2 – Fiber Coupler Unit

• 2 meter FC/APC PM fiber for 1290-1370 nm output included
• Stable fiber coupler with X,Y,Z degrees of freedom. Flexure based alignment
• FC/APC connector to control output beam shape: M2 less than 1.5
• Linearly polarized output, at least 99:1
• System should include:
  • Mounted TA chip with collimation and beam shaping optics and thermal control
  • Integration of optical isolators
  • High bandwidth current modulation
  • 10A current controller for tapered amplifier with low noise and drift electronics
  • FPGA electronics for digital scanning, locking and relocking, FFT, and output power stabilization
  • Data recording
  • Graphical interface and command interface, interfaces with computers

Item 3 – Tapered Amplifier

• Gain bandwidth: 1315 nm  - 1357 nm or wider
• Output power: at least 200 mW over the gain bandwidth
• Optical gain: 20 dB or more
• Beam shaping optics included

Item 4 – Optical Isolators for Tapered Amplifier

• Optical isolator wavelength range: 1300  - 1400 nm
• Isolation: at least 30 dB per isolator
• Transmission: at least 85% per isolator

Item 5 – Fiber Coupler Unit for BOOSTA IN

• Coupler unit must have FC/APC connector
• Stable fiber coupler with X, Y, and Z degrees of freedom
• Flexure-based alignment

Item 6 – Fiber Coupler Unit for Tapered Amplifier and BOOSTA Output

• FC/AFC Connector, 20 dB PER
• Output fiber: 2 m minimum length, FC/AFC PM fiber for high power output. Fiber should not be a physical contact (PC) coupling type
• Stable fiber coupler with X, Y, and Z degrees of freedom
• Flexure-based alignment

Other vendors found during market research offered systems that could not hit the required output power near 1350nm or did not offer the required stability or linewidth at 1350nm.  Considering this, and also considering that interchanges with Toptica Photonics have yielded that they do not maintain a network of resellers for their products, a sole-source award to Toptica Photonics, Inc. is contemplated, as aforementioned.

This is a notice of proposed contract action and not a request for competitive proposals; however, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement or proposal, which shall be considered by the agency. All inquiries should be sent by email to tiffany.slopka@us.af.mil. Responses must be submitted by the date/time listed on the notice. Any response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government in future procurements.

Responses received will be evaluated; however, a determination by the Government not to compete the proposed procurement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government anticipates an award date on or before 30 September 2026.

A Sole Source Justification will be attached to the subsequent Notice of Award in accordance with applicable regulation.