High-Frequency RF Signal Synthesizer Design and Assembly

The contract seeks the engineering design, integration, and delivery of a phase-coherent dual-channel RF synthesizer capable of operating from 50 MHz to 40 GHz, specifically tailored for use as a local oscillator in a Ka-band millimeter-wave digital correlator. The device must ensure precise phase alignment between channels to maintain signal integrity and synchronization critical for high-resolution mmWave measurement applications. The scope includes full development from conceptual design through prototyping, rigorous testing under controlled environmental conditions, and meticulous calibration to meet stringent performance specifications for frequency stability, phase noise, and output power consistency. The synthesizer must be assembled and validated for deployment in a high-precision scientific instrument environment, with all deliverables documented and traceable to meet NIST’s standards for metrological accuracy. Performance verification will include characterization across the full operating bandwidth under varying temperature and power conditions to ensure reliability in operational settings. The work is to be performed in Boulder, Colorado, with a submission deadline of July 16, 2026, and is classified as a subcontract under NAICS code 334515, indicating a focus on communication equipment manufacturing. The contracting entity is the National Institute of Standards and Technology within the Department of Commerce, underscoring the project’s importance to precision measurement science and advanced sensing technologies.