Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coatings

Combined Sources Sought Notice and Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract for Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coatings

Notice ID: NIST-SS26-CHIPS-158

Contract Opportunity Type: Sources Sought

Response Date: 7/23/26

Product Service Code (PSC): 6640

NAICS Code: 334516

BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting market research to identify alternative sources that (a) are capable of meeting NIST’s minimum requirements for the following commercial products and commercial services and (b) would be interested in competing for that requirement: The CHIPS Metrology Program includes research in Grand Challenge 1, Metrology for Materials Purity, Properties and Provenance. To address this Grand Challenge, the project Optical Impurity Analysis of Semiconductor Gases for Enhanced Quality Systems seeks to purchase Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coatings to perform ultrasensitive cavity ring-down and cavity-enhanced spectroscopy on low-temperature (180 K to 220 K) gas-phase samples. The project is led by the Chemical Science Division of the NIST Material Measurement Laboratory, the nation’s premier metrology laboratory for measurement science, standards, technology, and data in the area of chemical sciences

To improve sensitivity in laser absorption spectroscopy, optical cavities are used to enhance the interaction pathlength between a laser source and a gas-phase sample. Here we aim to detect trace impurities in gas-phase samples relevant to the semiconductor industry. Therefore, we require high reflectivity mirrors with low absorption and scattering loss that efficiently transmit and store laser light. The overall goal is the trace detection of small molecules like carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) in bulk zero gases like CO2, nitrogen (N2) and argon (Ar) at the parts-per-trillion level (1 part in 1012). To achieve this goal, we seek Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coatings for Low Temperature for use at a center wavelength near 4500 nm and a temperature near 200 K

Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coatings

Quantity:  Quantity six (6)

1. Technical Specifications
   1. Center wavelength between 4450 nm and 4550 nm.
   2. Center wavelength achieved at a temperature between 180 K and 220 K.
   3. Mirrors operate with continuous-wave (CW) mid-infrared (mid-IR) lasers.
   4. Mirrors comprise a hybrid crystalline and ion beam sputtered coating.
   5. Crystalline coating component comprises alternating stacks of GaAs and AlGaAs.
   6. Mirror hybrid coating reflectivity shall be greater than or equal to 0.999 970 at center wavelength.
   7. Mirror hybrid coating transmission shall be less than or equal to 10 parts-per-million (ppm) at center wavelength.
   8. Coating diameter after transfer to substrate shall be between 15 mm and 18 mm.
   9. Coating applied to plano-concave silicon (Si) mirror substrates (supplied by NIST) of 25.4 mm diameter, 6.25 mm thickness, 1 m radius of curvature, and plano surface wedge angle of 0.5 degrees.
   10. Mirror high reflectivity, low loss hybrid coating shall be applied to the concave substrate face.
   11. An anti-reflection coating suitable for use from 4400 nm to 4600 nm shall be applied to the plano substrate face.

NIST has not yet determined its acquisition strategy for this requirement and encourages interested sources to respond to this Notice.

If NIST’s market research indicates there are alternative sources that are capable and interested in competing to fill this requirement, separate and apart from [ThorLabs INC VCJKYBSL8DL8] then NIST will consider conducting a competitive acquisition in accordance with law and regulation. To be clear, NIST’s identification of [Thorlabs INC] in this Notice does not constitute a binding commitment or obligation for it to conduct a sole source procurement with [Teledyne Princeton Instruments] for this requirement.

Instructions for Responding to Respond to This Notice

Parties that respond to this Notice are requested to voluntarily submit the requested information via email in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, and/or Microsoft Excel format to the designated point(s) of contact whose name and email address appears at the bottom of this notice. Please provide only the information requested by this Notice, and do not include proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information in a response to this Notice.

Information Requested in Response to This Notice: To help NIST with its market research, NIST is requesting that industry sources carefully review this notice and any attachments to it and voluntarily provide the following information: 

1. Company Summary

• Notice Identification: Notice ID and Title of this posting.

• Corporate Details: Company name, physical address, website address, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

• Point of Contact (POC): Name, phone number, and email address.

• Company Size Standard: Your company’s size status relative to the NAICS code provided in this Notice. (Refer to the SBA Table of Small Business Size Standards).

• System for Award Management (SAM) Registration: Indicate whether your company has an active registration for procurement purposes in SAM.gov.

1. Feedback for Draft Requirements

• Review the potential requirements/minimum specifications included with this Notice. Then, please provide suggestions to (a) improve clarity of it; (b) to make it more competitive; (c) to indicate whether there anything in it that may inadvertently exclude domestic involvement; and (d) to indicate how the requirements could potentially be revised to improve the ability for domestic (“Made in America”) end products to be considered.

1. Information Regarding Your Company’s Products and Services

• Provide specifications, company name of the original equipment manufacturer, and the country of manufacture for products and services that your company is legally authorized to sell and that may meet NIST’s minimum requirements.

• • Indicate whether, in your opinion, the product(s) meet the definition of (a) commercial product or (b) commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item or COTS item as described at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2 and, if so, which definition applies ((a) or (b)).

• • Indicate whether, in your opinion, the service(s) meet the definition of commercial service as described at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2.

• Standard Commercial Pricing: Provide your company’s standard commercial pricing information for the identified products and services and explain what is included in those standard prices.

• Estimated Price Range: You may provide an estimated price or price range for the requirements, including a brief explanation of how the price estimate was developed.

• Standard Commercial Terms and Conditions: Provide a copy of the standard commercial terms and conditions for the commercial products and commercial services identified in the response to this notice, including nature and duration of standard commercial warranty.

1. Regulatory and Supply Chain Compliance

• Indicate whether your company could comply with FAR Clause 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (OCT 2022) if this acquisition were to be set aside for small businesses. Provide a brief supporting explanation.

1. Existing Governmentwide Contract Vehicles

• Indicate whether your company has its own GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract or other federal contract vehicles under which NIST could award an order and, if so, provide the contract details (contract number, Contracting Officer name/contact, SOW, terms and conditions, and price lists).

We truly appreciate your company’s willingness to provide the above-mentioned information which NIST will be valuable in helping NIST complete its market research.

Important Notes

This Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay respondents to this notice for information provided in response to this Notice. Following a review of the responses and market research, NIST may publish a solicitation on an authorized site, depending on the chosen acquisition strategy. Responses received after the closing date for this Notice may not be considered.

There is no solicitation available at this time.

The Government reserves the right to use information that it receives in response to this Notice as it deems appropriate to establish final requirements or for other legally appropriate purposes.

Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capability.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

After a review of the responses received, a synopsis and solicitation may be published on GSA’s eBuy or SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered an adequate response to any such solicitation(s).

QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS NOTICE

For additional information, please contact the primary contact or, if named, secondary contact identified at the bottom of this notice.

THANK YOU

Thank you for taking the time to read this notice and for your interest in helping NIST with its efforts to maximize competition!