GLOVE BOX

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

NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large and small businesses. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334413, Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing, with a Small Business Size Standard of 1,250 employees. This notice does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Invitation for Bids (IFB), or any commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will not pay for any information submitted in response to this notice. Submission of information is voluntary and will not result in any obligation on the part of the Government.

NO SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS EXIST AT THIS TIME

Requests for solicitation documents will not receive a response. Respondents shall clearly mark any proprietary or restricted information. In the absence of such markings, NIST will assume unlimited rights to all technical data submitted.

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor manufacturing yield enhancement requires ongoing risk analysis of cleaning chemical purity wherein critical contaminants are already at levels difficult or impossible to detect, let alone identify and quantify. Next-generation chips will require even purer materials and advanced metrological capabilities for the detection, identification, and quantification of impurities in semiconductor cleaning chemicals, necessitating a practical roadmap for assessing material purity commensurate with the needs of the next generation in semiconductor manufacturing.

The purification of water to ultrapure water (UPW) is a critical process in various semiconductor and research applications, where even trace amounts of contaminants at the parts-per-billion level (ppb, 10‑9 moles per mole) can compromise the integrity of the water and affect downstream processes. High molecular weight organics (a particle precursor), metallic ions and native particles can all impact chip reliability and yield at these low concentrations. Current laboratory grade ultrapure water sources using reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and ultrafiltration can readily obtain water purities with contaminants at the ppb level. However, the development of test materials requires significantly reduced contaminant concentrations of 10 to 100 parts-per-trillion (ppt, 10-12 moles per mole). Artifact-based standards require even further reduced contamination concentrations approaching the 10’s of parts-per-quadrillion (ppq, 10‑15 moles per mole). The proposed method for producing this new grade of UPW, referred to as UPW0, is to further purify UPW using sub-boiling distillation in a controlled environment (i.e., glove box). The sub-boiling distillation process greatly reduces contamination carryover, versus traditional distillation, while the glove box reduces interferences from ambient molecular and particulate contaminants.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

The Contractor shall deliver a quantity of one (1) glove box that will be used to produce UPW0 in a controlled environment free from ambient molecular and particulate contamination that meet the below minimum techncial specifications: 

1. Minimum of 4 feedthroughs for UPW feed and drain, and additional expansion.  
2. 120 V AC power supply (4 or more port power strip or equivalent) and light inside the working chamber.
3. Capable of purging using a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) purge gas generator – Parker Spectra 15 or equivalent with < 1 ppm CO2, dew point ≤ -73 °C (‑100 °F).
4. Online CO2 monitor with ± 1 μmol mol-1 (ppm) resolution.
5. Automatic operation of atmosphere cycling, including purge and pressure adjustment.
6. 2 glove ports.
7. 2 gloves for glove ports made of butyl rubber or better (lower gas permeability).
8. 120 V, 60 Hz AC power
9. Stand for glovebox with locking casters or equivalent.
10. Vacuum source.
11. Digital and/or hardcopy user manual for glove box

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS
Interested parties shall submit a written capability statement addressing the following:
1. Company name, address, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, CAGE code, and point-of-contact information
2. Business size and socio-economic status (if applicable) for the NAICS code provided
3. Description of company capabilities relevant to the products/services described above
4. Description of prior experience providing/performing similar products/services described above
5. Identification of applicable contract vehicles (e.g., GSA FSS, GWACs), including contract numbers
6. Any other information the Government should consider for market research purposes
7. State whether the proposed product is manufactured in the United States and, if not, state the name of the country where the
product is manufactured.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future.  All responses to this notice must be submitted via email to Sadaf.Afkhami@nist.gov, no later than 12:00 PM EST on May 29,
2026.

Format: Microsoft Word or PDF
Page Limit: 12 pages maximum
Font: Times New Roman, 11-point
Paper Size: 8.5 x 11 inches
Margins: Minimum 1 inch on all sides

Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to Sadaf.Afkhami@nist.gov, no later than 9:00 AM EST on May 20, 2026.