CHIPS Low Loss Mirrors – Combined Sources Sought/Notice of Intent to Sole Source

Active

Contract Opportunity

***THIS IS A COMBINED SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE***

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coatings. If no alternate sources are identified, the Government intends to issue a Sole Source Award to Thorlabs, Inc (43 Sparta Avenue, Newton, NJ 07860) under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334413.

NIST has a need for ten (10) Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coating that meets or exceeds the following requirements.

NIST’s 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 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 nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon monoxide (CO) in bulk zero gases like 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 use at center wavelengths near 4500 nm, 3000 nm, and 2700 nm.

To meet these requirements NIST requires the following:

Line Item 0001:

Description: Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coatings, XM45R15-SP

Quantity: Quantity six (6)

Line Item 0002:

Description: Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coatings, XM30R15-SP

Quantity: Quantity two (2)

Line Item 0003:

Description: Ultralow Loss Mid-IR Optics with Hybrid Crystalline Coatings, XM27R15-SP

Quantity: Quantity two (2)

Key Characteristics of the above items are:

The requested optics require a proprietary hybrid amorphous-crystalline coating process in order to achieve sufficiently low excess optical losses from material absorption and scattering. In particular the coatings need to be low excess losses of 30 parts-per-million or less in the mid-wave infrared.

NIST conducted market research from September 2024 through January 2025 through performing internet searches, GSA searches, and Thomas register research, and speaking with vendors to determine what sources could meet NIST’s minimum requirements. The results of that market research revealed that only Thorlabs, Inc (UEI: VCJKYBSL8DL8) appears to be capable of meeting NIST’s requirements.

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 at the bottom of this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice.

• 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).


• Details about what your company is capable of providing that meets or exceeds NIST’s minimum requirements.


• Whether your company is an authorized reseller of the product or service being cited and evidence of such authorization.


• Identify any aspects of the description of the requirements in the BACKGROUND section above that could be viewed as unduly restrictive or create unnecessary barriers that adversely affect your firm’s ability to fully participate in a procurement for such services and explain why. Please offer suggestions for how the requirements could be organized or structured to encourage the participation of small businesses.


• For the NAICS code


• Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business. See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information.


• If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement.


• If your firm has existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts for products or services against which the Department may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.


• Describe your firm’s experience (as a prime, subcontractor, or consultant) providing the products or services described in Background section.


• Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for the Government to know as part of its market research for this requirement.


• Please let us know if you would like to engage to get a better understanding of the requirement or need additional information about the Government’s requirement for the products or services described in the Background section.

QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE

Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via email to the Primary Point of Contact and the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice. Questions should be submitted within 5 days of the posting. Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline.

IMPORTANT NOTES

The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that the NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future.

This notice should not be construed as a commitment by the NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract.

This notice is not a request for a quotation. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotations.

No award will be made as a result of this notice.

NIST is not responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.

NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and appropriate.

Thank you for taking the time to submit a response to this request!

Attachments/Links