SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- Optical Parametric Amplifier
- Notice Date
- 7/30/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334515
— Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFLCMC/PKO, 1940 ALLBROOK DRIVE, WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, 45433-5309, United States
- ZIP Code
- 45433-5309
- Solicitation Number
- F4FBB22193A002(ss)
- Archive Date
- 8/28/2012
- Point of Contact
- Matthew J. Strange, Phone: 9372570997
- E-Mail Address
-
matthew.strange@wpafb.af.mil
(matthew.strange@wpafb.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS (Not a Notice of Solicitation) The United States Air Force, ASC/Operational Contracting Division, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio is seeking potential sources that are capable of providing an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) with associated titanium sapphire oscillator and regenerative amplifier needed for spectroscopic characterization of optoelectronic components and devices spanning a wavelength range from the ultraviolet to the long wave infrared. Contractors responding should specify that their product meets the specifications provided below and provide detailed product information to show clear technical compliance. Additionally, sales history, including recent commercial companies sold to should be included to determine commerciality. The required specifications for the Optical Parametric Amplifier: The system is to be a two-box system, the first being an amplified Ti:Sapphire laser which incorporates an oscillator and amplifier [with respective pump sources] and the second box being an Optical Parametric Amplifier which provides fully automated software controlled tunable light in the spectral region from 240 nm to 20,000 nm: 1) The Ti:Sapphire oscillator/amplifier system must have space-efficient one box design. 2) The system must deliver < 50fSec ultrafast pulses with energy >3.5mJ at a repetition rate of 1kHz and nominal wavelength of 800nm. 3) The system must have the option of being configured to deliver < 50fSec pulses of >0.7mJ at a repetition rate of 5kHz and nominal wavelength of 800nm. 4) The system must deliver pulse energy stability of <0.5% rms over an 8-hour period. Therefore, the laser system must be based on all-solid-state pump technology. 5) The system must deliver Gaussian spatial mode profile specified at 800 nm to be TEM00 with M2 < 1.3. Therefore, the laser system must use a regenerative amplifier design. 6) The Ti:Sapphire oscillator/amplifier system must utilze a thermally-stabilized regenerative cavity to comfortably meet long-term stability specifications. 7) The Regenerative amplifier must be seeded by a compact solid-state femtosecond Titanium:Sapphire oscillator with integrated single frequency pump laser. 8) The overall Amplifier and OPA system must have single laptop computer control of all components with unified software control to allow operators to adjust system parameters and verify status of the optimization loops. 9) The system must include a computer-controlled Optical Parametric Amplifier (OPA) with available accessories that extended the wavelength range from <240nm to >20um. The entire OPA, including all wavelength extension modules, must be housed in one enclosure. Detailed Component Requirement 1. Required Modelocked Fixed Wavelength Titanium:Sapphire Laser Oscillator with Integrated Low Noise Solid-State Pump Laser Performance and Capabilities: Bandwidth >15nm at nominal 800nm Average power >200 mW @ 800nm (using 2W solid state pump) RMS noise < 0.1% (10Hz-20MHz) Stability +/- 1% (measured over 2 hours) Polarization Horizontal Repetition Rate 80MHz • Variable group velocity dispersion compensation should be provided with negative dispersion mirrors (NDM). Multiple reflections from the NDMs provide the total compensation required to generate ultrashort pulses. The system must not use prisms or other movable optics. • The Ti:Sapphire oscillator must have the required 532 nm, CW Solid-State Pump Laser enclosed in the same box for maximum stability, and resistance to environmental changes. This CW Pump Laser must have the following performance and capabilities:  The laser must deliver non-mode-hop, single-longitudinal-mode output; ie, linewidth must be under 5MHz. Systems based on a multi-axial design (MAD or QMAD) are not acceptable because of the mode-beating noise inherent in this design.  The laser must have a noise performance of lower than 0.03% rms from 10Hz to 1GHz. This low-noise performance is required for achieving best signal-to-noise in our application.  When replacing the pump laser diode modules, the laser head position and beam propagation path must not change, nor shall the laser cavity require any realignment or exposure to the laboratory environment. Therefore, the pump diode delivery fiber must be single core, and must detach at the diode connection, not at the connection to the laser head, when changing diodes.  To ensure maximum pump diode lifetime, the laser system must have the capability to optimize the pump diode wavelength to maximize optical conversion efficiency. • The pump/oscillator system must have servo controlled, internal pump laser steering optics which sense the performance of the Ti:Sapphire oscillator and automatically compensate the pump beam alignment. This allows fast warmup, and ensures maximum stability of the output pulses. • Both the Ti:Sapphire oscillator and integrated, CW, 532 nm pump laser, must utilze permanently aligned optical mounts to ensure the lasers stay aligned and stable over their lifetime. "Ball and spring mounts" tend to slowly creep over time, and with temperature changes, causing the laser alignment to be adversely affected. 2. Required Pulsed Solid-State Ti:S Amplifier Pump Laser Performance and Capabilities: Wavelength 527nm Pulse Repetition Rate 1kHz Pulse Energy >20mJ @ 1kHz >6mJ @ 5kHz Pulse Energy Stability <1% rms over 8 hour period • The system must be based on diode-pumped technology in order to ensure long-term shot-to-shot pulse energy stability. Flashlamp-pump systems as specifically excluded because of their poor shot-to-shot noise and frequent maintenance. 3. Required Regenerative Amplifier with Stretcher and Compressor Performance and Capabilities: • Pulse Energy >3.5mJ @ 1 kHz and nominal wavelength of 800nm Pulse Width < 100 fs at nominal 800nm wavelength Energy Stability < 0.5% rms over 8 hour period Pulse to Pulse Stability Pulse-to-pulse stability: < +/- 1.5% peak to peak, for both 1 kHz and 5 kHz Pulse Repetition Rate 1kHz, with option to upgrade to 5kHz Spatial Mode Gaussian, TEM00 with M2 < 1.3. Pulse Contrast Ratio >1000:1 pre-pulse >100:1 post-pulse Operating Range 20 degrees C +/- 5 degrees C • The amplifier must be "regenerative" system in order to ensure the required spatial mode. Systems incorporating any "multi-pass" design are specifically excluded because of the poorer mode, higher drift and resulting higher maintenance required. • The amplifier compressor must be mounted on a motorized stage to allow pulse optimization without opening the system enclosure. • The system must have bandwidth collapse detection. • The system must have relative power detectors. 4. Required Optical Parametric Amplifier Performance and Capabilities: Wavelength coverage - 290nm to 20,000nm (fundamental capable of 1160 to 2600nm) with computer control tuning and wavelength selection. Fundamental design is using white light continuum generation seeding. Ouput power - Greater than 220uJ (signal plus idler) with 1.0mJ input @ nominal 130fs. Energy scale is linear to 3.5mJ input. Polarization - linear Design configuration - For ease of operation and enhanced eye safety, we require that all optics for OPA operation (including harmonic generation, sum and difference frequency generation, beam conditioning, telescopes, wavelength separation elements and electronics) be housed in a single enclosure. Installation - included Warranty - one year All interested contractors shall submit a response demonstrating their capabilities to produce the requested equipment to the Primary Point of Contact listed below. As stipulated in FAR 15.201, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. The decision to solicit for a contract shall be solely within the Government's discretion. Contractors responding should indicate whether they are, or are not, a small business, a socially and economically disadvantaged business, or a woman owned business. The general definition of a small business is one that is independently owned and operated, is not dominant in the field of operation in which it is proposing on Air Force contracts and with its affiliates; and the number of employees does not exceed 500. NAICS Code to be used for this acquisition is 334515. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business set-aside based upon responses hereto for any subsequent acquisition. Respondents are further requested to indicate their status as a Foreign-owned/Foreign-controlled contractor and any contemplated use of foreign national employees on this effort. Any information submitted by respondents to this sources sought synopsis is voluntary. This sources sought notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government reimburse any costs associated with the submission of information in response to this notice. Respondents will not individually be notified of the results of any government assessments. The Government's evaluation of the capability statements received will factor into whether any forthcoming solicitation will be conducted as a full and open competition or as a set-aside for small businesses, or any particular small business designation (e.g. SDVOSB, HUBZone, 8(a), SDB, WOSB, VOSB, etc.). CAPABILITIES PACKAGE: All interested contractors shall submit a capabilities package that explicitly demonstrates company capabilities-indicating examples of commercial sales-and product specifications related to this effort. Responses may be submitted electronically to the following e-mail address: matthew.strange@wpafb.af.mil in a Microsoft Word compatible format or mailed to ASC/PKOAA POC: Matthew Strange, 1940 Allbrook Dr. Ste 3 Rm 109, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-5309 to be received no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 13 August, 2012. Direct all questions concerning this acquisition to Matthew Strange at matthew.strange@wpafb.af.mil.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/88 CONS/F4FBB22193A002(ss)/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 2241 Avionics Circle, WPAFB, Ohio, 45433, United States
- Zip Code: 45433
- Zip Code: 45433
- Record
- SN02820019-W 20120801/120730235752-2945c9655bd151c27758ec8fd76eb8a2 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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