Notice ID Number:  NIST-FY25-CHIPS-0054

Title: Sources Sought Notice for Cavity Ringdown Gas Analyzer for Trace Moisture

The purpose of this sources sought notice is to conduct market research and identify potential sources of commercial products/services that satisfy the Government’s anticipated needs.

BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is developing in situ process diagnostics for vapor phase deposition processes used in semiconductor manufacturing. Run within the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML), this program aims to design and evaluate new metrology capabilities to address needs in advanced process control and modeling for high volume manufacturing. The Chemical Process and Nuclear Measurements Group in the Chemical Sciences Division has specialized ultra-high purity gas handling systems, test stands for precursor delivery characterization, and deposition reactors for thin film growth characterization. These flow systems are equipped with various in situ and inline measurements used to characterize precursor concentration, flow rate, gas phase reactions, and surface reactions. The group has undertaken a project in the CHIPS R&D Metrology program focused on Digital Twins for Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Processes. In support of this work, the group requires a gas analyzer based on cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) and configured for trace moisture analysis (<1 ppb) in a semiconductor-grade vacuum system. The gas analyzer will be used in a research laboratory that houses multiple ultra-high purity flow systems, each handling highly moisture sensitive chemicals used in semiconductor manufacturing. The purpose of the analyzer is to quantify water vapor partial pressure in vacuum lines (down to 1 Torr) that handle inert carrier gases such as nitrogen or argon. Quantifying moisture in the flow systems is critical to identifying byproduct or impurity species that originate due to reaction with water vapor. The group seeks a CRDS trace moisture analyzer that is compatible with high-purity semiconductor vacuum systems, exhibits high sensitivity and stability, and has a small physical footprint.

NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a solution that will achieve the objectives described above.

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE

In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Please include only the following information, readable in either Microsoft Word 365, Microsoft Excel 365, or .pdf format, in the response:  Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice.  Please note that to be considered for award under any official solicitation, the entity must be registered and “active” in SAM at the time of solicitation response.

• Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI).
• Identify the equipment that your company sells that can meet the objectives addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice.  For each product recommended to meet the Government’s requirement, provide the following:
  • Manufacturer name
  • Model number
  • Technical specifications
  • If your company is not the manufacturer, provide information on your company’s status as an authorized reseller of the product(s)
• Describe performance capabilities of the product(s) your company recommends to meet the Government’s requirements.  Additionally, if there are other features or functions that you believe would assist NIST in meeting its objectives described above, please discuss in your response.
  • Discuss whether the equipment that your company sells and which you describe in your response to this notice may be customized to specifications and indicate any limits to customization.
• Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section you cannot meet and state why.  Please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more competitive.
• State whether the proposed equipment is manufactured in the United States and, if not, state the name of the country where the equipment is manufactured.
• Identify any plans/possibilities for changes in manufacturing location of the aforementioned equipment and provide relevant details, including tim