OPTICAL MICROSCOPE

NIST-SS26-91

PLEASE NOTE THIS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY

Title: Optical Microscope

BACKGROUND

The Alternative Computing Group in PML division 683 conducts research addressing the rapidly expanding measurement needs of new hardware for artificial intelligence, exploring emerging computing hardware, architectures and algorithms, and developing chip-based test vehicles for massively parallel measurements.  A significant portion of this work involves procurement of CMOS wafers up to 8” (200 mm) in diameter from foundries, and integrating custom nanoscale devices on top of them, either in the NIST NanoFab or through research partnerships and CRADAs with universities and companies.   A crucial step in this research is the microscopic inspection of whole wafers to characterize them, in particular highlighting any defects that may be present. For this purpose, we require an optical microscope capable of observing 200 mm wafers at a range of magnifications extending to at least 100X.  To allow stitching together of an array of images to cover large portions of the wafer, an encoded motorized stage and software are required.  

SPECIFICATIONS

The microscope shall meet or exceed the salient characteristics identified below. All items must be new.  Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. Experimental, prototype, or custom items will not be considered.  The use of “gray market” components not authorized for sale in the U.S. by the proposer is not acceptable.   All line items shall be shipped in the original manufacturer’s packaging and include all original documentation and software, when applicable.

The microscope shall consist of a complete, integrated system including the main body, head, motorized nosepiece, all optics, illumination, motorized stage, digital camera, control electronics and software.   The following are the minimum specifications.

1. Weight: due to laboratory constraints, preference will be given to systems whose weight is less than 65 kg.
2. Head: The microscope head shall be of the ergonomic tilting trinocular type.
3. Illumination: Sample illumination shall allow through-the-objective illumination for reflected-light observation.  Light source shall be LED-based with suitable controls.
4. Nosepiece: The nosepiece shall be motorized with capability of holding up to six objectives.
5. Objective lenses: The microscope shall include a minimum of 5 objective lenses fully optimized for brightfield, darkfield and differential interference contrast (DIC) as follows:

1. Magnification 5X, NA at least 0.15, WD at least 18 mm, semi-apochromat class
2. Magnification 10X, NA at least 0.30, WD at least 15 mm, semi-apochromat class
3. Magnification 20X, NA at least 0.45, WD at least 4.5 mm, semi-apochromat class     
4. Magnification 50X, NA at least 0.80, WD at least 2 mm, apochromat class
5. Magnification 100X, NA at least 0.90, WD at least 2 mm, apochromat class.  Note a WD of 2 mm at 100X magnification is a critical requirement for protecting extremely delicate and expensive samples.

1. Contrast mechanisms:

1. Conventional brightfield
2. Conventional darkfield
3. Differential interference contrast (DIC).  Microscope shall have Epi DIC capability, including a fixed polarizer and analyzer and Nomarski DIC prism

1. Stage:

1. Stage shall accommodate up to 8” (200 mm) wafers and have suitable adapters for smaller wafers.
2. Stage shall be rotatable, allowing inspection of all regions of a wafer
3. Stage shall be fully motorized with encoder, allowing acquisition of stitched images
4. Stage shall be controllable by both joystick and software  
5. Speed: up to 240 mm/s
6. Repeatability: 1 um or smaller
7. Accuracy: ±1 um or smaller
8. Resolution: 0.05 um or smaller
9. Orthogonality 10 arcsec or smaller

1. Camera: camera shall be scientific color CMOS-based with the following specifications:

1. Capability of switching from color to monochrome
2. Sensor size 35.8 mm x 23.8 mm or larger
3. Pixel count: 6000 x 3984 or greater
4. Pixel size: 6 um x 6 um or larger
5. Frame rate: 9 fps (all pixels), 66 fps FullHD (3x3 pix) or higher

1. Software: microscope shall include all software necessary for performing the following functions:

1. Real-time viewing of image
2. Acquisition and storage of images in various formats
3. Measurements and annotations on images
4. Complete control over camera functionalities
5. Complete control over motorized components of microscope
6. Coordinated motion of stage and image acquisition allowing precision stitching of images for large area characterization
7. System shall include a dust cover

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 and its past experience with design and manufacture of magneto-resistive sensors. Any relevant past performance.

•           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

o          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.

o          If you believe the NAICS and/or Product Service Code code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS/PSC 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 listed in this notice. Questions should be submitted so that they are received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on March 20, 2026.  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.