Scanning Electron Microscope

This is a Notice of Proposed Contract Action under the FAR Part 12 Acquisition of Commercial Items and FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This 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 333314 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. AFRL requires a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The Government intends to negotiate a sole source contract with: Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC 1 North Broadway White Plains NY 10601 The Government has determined that no other source has commercial offerings that can meet this requirement. Zeiss is the only source that manufactures the required SEM with the required specifications. As Zeiss is an extremely qualified manufacturer of scanning electron microscopes, their line of Gemini SEMs are meant for and give the highest resolution imaging with the lowest accelerating voltage to minimize charging. The required Gemini model decelerates the electrons in the column instead of adding a voltage across the sample and stage. This allows the SEM to image ESD and voltage sensitive samples. The system needs to contain systems for material, depth, and surface analysis, must be capable of extremely low accelerating voltages such that no charging occurs on the samples. The samples in most cases will not be covered in conductive films. The samples will be ESD sensitive, and therefore the sample holding stage cannot have a voltage applied to it to decelerate the incoming electrons. The system shall include variable pressure imaging of the samples and the system needs a load lock. Market research has yielded, as well as collaborators at MIT, RIT, and ARL in regards to their experience with SEMs and what they would recommend. The responses were racked for technical specifications against our needs, cost effectiveness, longevity, maintenance costs, and responsiveness of servicing. After weighing all options, no other companies provided written documentation stating that they could meet our samples imaging specifications. Under the contemplated contract, Zeiss will provide the following supplies and services: Basic Unit GeminiSEM 560 High vacuum resolution: 0.5 nm @ 15 kV, 0.8 nm @ 1kV, 1.0 nm @ 500 V, 0.7 nm @ 1kV with Tandem decel option. Inlens BSE resolution (optional): 1.2 nm @ 1 kV NanoVP (optional) resolution: 1.4 nm at chamber pressure of 30 Pa and 3 kV. Acceleration voltage: 0.02 kV to 30kV. Probe current: 3pA - 20nA; with optional high current mode (100 nA), selection via seven apertures (six aperture in case of 100 nA configuration) with electromagnetic selection and precise alignment. Optional OptiProbe module for continuous probe current adjustment. Beam current stability better als 0.2%/h Maximum field of view in high resolution mode: 1.6 mm @ 1 kV and WD 7 mm Maximum field of view in overview mode: 130 mm at max. WD (ca. 50 mm) Magnification: 1* x - 2.000.000x referenced to Polaroid image format, *in Overview mode. Automatic function for focus, stigmation, brightness and contrast. Digital store with max. resolution of 32768 x 24576 Pixel. Windows 10 (64 bit) multi-language operation system; user-friendly control software SmartSEM Vacuum system: Automatic controlled pumping system, consists of turbomolecular pump and ion getter pump (IGP) for ultrahigh vacuum in the column and the emitter region. High vacuum in specimen chamber by the oil free pump systems. Chamber scope: Color CCD scope with illumination. SCM: Specimen current monitor with integrated Touch Alarm (Audible touch alarm warning with on-screen message). Specimen chamber: 360 mm inner diameter and 270 mm height for large specimens. Twelve accessory ports on the chamber and two accessor ports on the stage door are provided, three of the chamber ports are for analytic applications with take-off angle of 35 two of which are coplanar diametrically opposed EDS ports. Stage: 5-axes motorised eucentric specimen stage: X, Y = 130 mm, Z: 50mm, T= -4 to + 70, R = 360 continuous, 3 - m repeatability in x/y at 0 tilt. Movements may be reduced by specimen size, choice of sample holder, and operating conditions. Carousel 9x sample holder for standard stub sample holder. ( 13mm) Variable pressure (Optional): Standard VP option: Vacuum range from 10 to 60 Pa, adjustable in steps of 1 Pa. NanoVP option: Vaccum range from 10 to 500 Pa, adjustable in steps of 1 Pa. Enables InlensSE and optional InLens EsB imaging in the NanoVP mode up to 150 Pa. Charge compensation: Pneumatic retractable nitrogen gas injection system with adjustable gas flow. Can be combined with additional gas injection line of oxygen for in-situ sample cleaning. Detectors: In-lens SE Detector: Patented column-mounted scintillator detector with optically coupled photomultiplier for high efficiency inlens SE detection. In-Lens EsB Detector (optional): Column-mounted high efficiency scintillator detector with optically coupled photomultiplier for detection of energy and angle selective backscattered electrons. Filtering grid adjustable from 0 V to - 1.5 kV for energy filtering. The Inlens SE and EsB detectors can be used in parallel. ETSE: Chamber secondary electron detector (Everhart-Thornley). VPSE (optional): High efficiency variable pressure SE detector. C2D (optional): Cascade Current Detector with floating amplifier electronics, for enhanced imaging in Variable Pressure mode BSD Detector (optional): Pneumatic retractable multi-mode solid state BSE-detector. Diode with 4 sectors and one additional segment or with 6 sectors in annular shape available. aSTEM detector (optional): Pneumatic retractable multi-mode annular STEM-detector, with 12x sample holder. Enables bright field, dark field, oriented dark field and high angle annular dark field transmission imaging. CL detector (optional): Cathodoluminiscence chamber detector (option for non-VP configurations, included in VP option). SCD detector (optional): Specimen current detector for imaging electron absorbed current in the specimen. YAG detector (optional): Robust fully retractable, YAG crystal based BSE scintillator detector with rise time ~200 ns. Easy to use with no amplifier gain adjustment required. Scanning modes Dual channel mode: Enables the display of two different detector signals in different SmartSEM windows. Quad mode: Side by side live display, on a single monitor, of the same field of view using input from up to four detector channels. Images may be selectively processed and frozen. Dual mag: Enables a user defined area on the left-hand half of a split screen display to be zoomed from 1x to 10x. Images from different detectors can be displayed at different magnifications. Overview mode: Enables you to acquire an overview image of the specimen holder and the interior of the specimen chamber. - Reduced raster: Adjustable in size and position, reduced area scanning for fine adjustment of stigmation, focus, etc Automatic Focus Control: Automatic coarse and fine focus control. Automatic Focus Wobble: For automatic assistance in aperture alignment, with adjustable amplitude and speed. Focus Compensation: Automatic compensation to minimize focus changes over the entire acceleration voltage range. Tilt compensation: correct the perspective foreshortening caused by the scan of a tilted specimen. Dynamic Focus: For correction of focus on tilted specimens. - Drift correction: Image analysis software to compensate for image drift by beam shift control. Drift Corrected Frame Averaging / Integration: Enables drift compensated frame integration and averaging. Standard software licenses Center point: Enables you to mark a spot in the image which is then automatically moved to the center of the Image Area. Compucentric stage: Compucentric functions enable you to maintain the focus when the stage is tilted or rotated, even in case of a non- eucentric stage Macro generator: for automatization of routine work. Stage scan: Enables you to scan an exactly defined series of regularly distributed image fields. Stage registration: Enables users to define specific coordinate systems for the specimen stage. Sample type selection: select from collection of predefined specimen types including the appropriate settings. User accounting: Automatic registration of special parameters during a working session to enable the instrument administrator to trace who worked on the microscope. For each user, the number of saved *.tiff images, output photos and prints are saved. Advanced measurement: Provides further measuring possibilities such as measuring of rectangles, inserting horizontal/vertical measuring lines. Remote access module SmartImage: advanced image processing algorithms for improving noisy and/or low contrast images. Variable Pressure Imaging Option ZEISS Predictive Service Remote Monitor Detector Inlens - Doublet In-lens SE detector and in-lens EsB Detector. VPSE detector w/rectangle flange Light detector for detecting SE signal under variable pressure with high speed 24" Flat Panel TFT Color Monitor Control Panel USB, US Vers with Firmware 20nA High resolution configuration for CC/VP systems Upgrade of standard PC to enhanced PC workstation: (Intel Xeon CPU Quad core, 32GB memory, 1TB SSD, 3x4TB hard disk, 4GB video) PC table small (1100mm x 1000mm) High efficiency 5 sector annular solid state BSE-detector. Outer ring contains 4 quarters for obtaining topographical constrast. Integrated with the pneumatically rectractable differential pumping aperture for NanoVP. Plasma Cleaner XEI Evactron E50 with integrated software control in SmartSEM 80mm Airlock Kit NSE Wafer Section Holder Flat Cleaved Wafer Sample Holder + Clips Navigation Camera, 80mm Airlock Atlas 5 package for GeminiSEM. Workflow oriented high throughput acquisition platform. Fusion of images from multiple instruments, detectors and sessions in one correlative workspace. Import of images (BMP, JPG, TIF, CZI, TXM), flexible layered arrangement of images. Protocol based automated 2D acquisition. Large framestore up to 32k x 32k, 100ns, 8bit/16bit, 2 channels. xROI imaging (exact regions of interest). Manual stitching of 2D mosaics. Handling of 2D mosaics of older Atlas versions. Powerful post processing tools like automated stitching, batch stitching, image corrections and advanced import and export functions. Image review and re-shoot. Dual-channel blending. Export to movie, Browser Based Viewer. Additional application specific modules available. Chiller water-cooled X-Ray/External Scan Input Panel Kit Energy Dispersive X-ray Microanalysis system including: Software: - Live X-ray Maps - Live Trace - Tru-Q analysis engine - Point and ID - AutoID - Standardless quantitative analysis - Spectral imaging - TruMap and TruLine background and overlap-corrected mapping - AutoLock Drift Correction - AutoLayer element and phase visualization - AutoPhaseMap - QuantMap and QuantLinescan - Microsoft Office for report generation - Additional license for off-line processing Hardware: - UltimMax 65 - 65mm2 sensor size. - Resolution guaranteed on Mn K - 127eV at 130,000 cps. - Includes SATW window for detection of elements from Beryllium - X4 Pulse Processor and Imaging Electronics - An Ethernet based Module that provides X, Y scan generation and X-Ray acquisition and detection - Windows 10 PC - 27 inch Widescreen LCD display AZtec/INCA EDS Installation FE-SEM Basic-2Day Onsite Training 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 contact@example.gov. 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 June 2022. A Sole Source Justification will be attached to the subsequent Notice of Award in accordance with applicable regulation.