Naval Research Laboratory, Attn: Code 3230, 4555 Overlook Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20375-5326

66 -- ION BEAM ETCHING SYSTEM SOL N00173-99-R-AJ03 POC Jackie Anderson, Contract Specialist, Code 3230.AJ (202)767-3698, Carol Parnell, Contracting Officer WEB: click here, http://heron.nrl.navy.mil/contracts/home.htm. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation number, N00173-99-R-AJ03, is issued as a request for proposal (RFP). The incorporated provisions and clauses of this acquisition are those in effect for Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-11 and for Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) through Defense Acquisition Circular 91-13. This acquisition is unrestricted. The small business size standard for this acquisition is 500 employees and the standard industry code (SIC) is 5049. The Naval Research Laboratory has a requirement for CLIN 0001, A Research Model Ion Beam Etching System, l LO. This system must be able to etch LiNOb3. This system shall meet the following criteria for etching trenches in LiNOb3 with an aspect ratio 3.6:1 to a depth of 4 microns: Etch uniformity +/- 2.5% over 3 inches; LiNOb3 etch rate .02 microns/minute. No redeposition of etched material on trench walls; Substrate temperature not to exceed 80oC. These criteria must be demonstrated on samples supplied and evaluated by NRL personnel prior to contract award. The system must meet or exceed the following specifications: (1) System size -- The system footprint shall not exceed 4.5x2 feet not including mechanical pump, cryo compressor and electronics control cabinet. Electronics control cabinet shall not have a footprint larger than 2.6x2 feet and shall be able stand at any position around the main frame. The electronics control cabinet shall be on wheels. (2) Process Chamber -- The process chamber will have a horizontal configuration with doors on each end. It will be fabricated from 304 stainless steel using ultra-high vacuum compatible fabrication techniques with continuous internal welds on all flanges. All internal vacuum surfaces will be carefully machined to eliminate virtual vacuum leaks. The outer surface will be bead blasted for an attractive and clean appearance. Water flow channels will be provided to the chamber walls. All penetrations required for a totally functional system shall be provided. The chamber door will be mounted with spring loaded hinges to prevent scuffing and ensure parallel closure. Slide-in stainless steel liners will be provided to protect the chamber wall from condensates. (3) Support Stand -- A mild steel support stand will be provided to position the process chamber at a convenient elevation above the floor. Adjustable leveling pads will be provided on the base of the support structure. The support stand will be enclosed with removable panels that are electrically interlocked to prevent exposure to high voltage. (4) Pumping System -- The system will achieve an ultimate pressure of the order of 2x10-7 Torr measured in the process chamber at ambient temperature within 60 minutes of the start up of the pump down cycle in a clean, dry condition. A clean, dry condition is defined as venting the process chamber to atmospheric pressure with dry nitrogen.. (5) Roughing Pump -- The chamber roughing will be achieved via a two stage direct drive rotary pump and will be able to evacuate the process chamber to cross over conditions in less than 20 minutes. The pump will be mounted external to the system with a flexible roughing line between the pump and the system. Length of this roughing line will have to be defined and approved during the final design stage. A roughing line trap will be installed between the roughing pump and process chamber to reduce back streaming. (6) High Vacuum Pump -- The system will be supplied with a cryo pump. (7) Vacuum Gauging and Controller -- An Automatic Valve Sequencer will provide for a complete automatic pumpdown and venting of the system. All pumps, valving, purge lines, and controls will be provided. The Controller will also monitor the pressure in the process chamber. The vacuum gauge tube in the process chamber will be located at the maximum practical distance from the pumping port. High pressure measurements will be obtained and monitored by convectron gauges. The controller will display the pressure over a range from 760 Torr to 1x10-9 Torr. (8) Substrate Fixturing -- The substrate fixture will have a water cooled, rotating, tiltable substrate table. The table will accommodate a 3 inch wafer. All gears and bearings will be protected from condensates by removable stainless steel shields. All gears and bearings shall be easily removable and replaceable. The substrate fixturing will be mounted on the door of the process chamber for easy loading and unloading of the substrates. Vacuum chucking capability will be provided. A shutter will be provided to allow for target precleaning without depositing material onto the substrates. (9) Ion Sources -- An 11 cm DC ion beam source or larger will be included in this system. The DC electron bombardment ion beam source shall have a filament configuration and use a collimated beam. A beam probe will be incorporated into the shutter to measure ion flux. DC Power supply shall run in either a manual or automatic mode and control all of the ion beam source operating parameters. The power supply will be programmable and allow for multiple operating conditions during operation. Power supply will be capable of supplying beam currents of up to 400mA at voltages of 1000eV.operate The power supply will interface with the gas flow controllers to provide integrated gas control for ion beam operation. (10) Neutralizers -- A plasma bridge neutralizer will be supplied. The neutralizer will be linked to the ion source power supply to provide for automatic tracking of charges on target and substrate during ion source operation. (11) Gas Flow Control System -- A Gas Flow Controller will be provided for the ion beam source for automatic control of process gases. The control system will have continuous display of flow rates with complete control and data logging. The gas flow control system will have the ability to be calibrated for any operating gas. (12) System Control Console -- The control console will either be located within the system frame work or a movable electronics cabinet. All instrumentation necessary for system operation as well as the ion beam source power supply and the gas flow controller will be contained within the system frame work and electronics cabinet. Emergency shutdown will be provided through EPO buttons located on both the front and back of the system. (13) General Construction -- The system will be designed and constructed to conform to all safety regulations. Any dangerous voltages or safety hazards will be enclosed, clearly marked, and safety interlocked. All components subject to overload shall be adequately protected. Materials for construction and fabrication shall be of the best commercial quality and free of imperfections. All electrical wiring and installation shall conform to UL standards. (14) Factory Test Plan -- All equipment will be assembled and pretested prior to shipment. Each unit or subassembly will be tested for its functional use and as part of a complete operational system under production simulation. The customer will be advised at least 30 days prior to final assembly and pretest so that a company representative can be present. All test results will be recorded and a copy supplied to the customer. (15) Preparation for Delivery -- The equipment will be disassembled, only as far as necessary, for ease of handling and packing. Packing will be adequate to assure safe delivery and acceptance. The supplier will notify Code 5671 of the expected delivery date at least 30 days prior to the shipment date to allow for utility hookups. (16) MAINTENANCE -- Virtually all maintenance and operating problems will be taken care of by onsite Personnel using the maintenance and troubleshooting sections of the manuals and perhaps a phone conversation with Supplier personnel. If, however, the problem cannot be resolved in the above manner, the Supplier shall supply field service personnel within 48 hours. (17) Instruction Manuals and Spare Parts -- Two (2) sets of instruction manuals will be provided for the system that will include operating manuals for all supplier sub-assemblies. One (1) set of all third party assemblies will be provided. All manuals will include top level assembly drawings and parts lists. (18) Installation and Final Acceptance -- Supplier will provide the services of qualified personnel in sufficient quantity to assure installation and acceptance at the customer's facility. Training of customer personnel will include details on the operation and maintenance on the system as well as information on the installation. The operation and maintenance training will include but not be limited to disassembly, cleaning, and/or repair of all of the components of the system with information on recommended procedures and intervals and detailed information on all aspects of operation of the system in service, manual, and automatic modes. This will include items such as review of performance and operating conditions obtained prior to shipment of the system, methods for adjusting the ion source parameters for alternate operating conditions, a review of software programming for process recipe building and editing, a review of error status and troubleshooting procedures, as well as any other pertinent subjects requested by the customer during construction or installation and acceptance phases. Final acceptance of the system will be based on its conformance with all of the requirements of a set of acceptance criterion previously agreed to by the Supplier and the customer. (19) Facility Requirements -- Code 5671 shall be given system utility requirements thirty days in advance of delivery date. The system requirements shall not exceed the following criteria: Air: 80- 1 00 psig -- For Valve Actuation; Nitrogen: 20-30 psig -- For Chamber Backfill; Process Gas: Up to 25 SCCM per source and neutralizer combination; Electrical: 208,30 Phase, 60 Amp, 60 Hz, 5 Wire; Water: 5 GPM. The required delivery schedule is not later than 90 days from contract award. The contractor shall deliver the system (all shipping charges paid) to FOB Destination, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375. Inspection and Acceptance will take place within seven (7) days of delivery. The following clauses and provisions are hereby incorporated by reference into this solicitation. Offerors are advised to propose in accordance with the provision at FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial Items which applies to this acquisition. Offerors will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation -- Commercial Items which applies to this acquisition. The specific evaluation criteria under paragraph (a) of FAR 52.212-2 are: (1) technical capability of the item offered to meet the NRL's need, (2) price, and (3) past performance. Technical and past performance factors, when combined, are of equal importance in comparison to price. Offerors are also advised to include with their offer a completed copy of the following provision: FAR 52.212-3, Offerors Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items which applies to this acquisition and can be found at the following web site: http://heron.nrl.navy.mil/contracts. FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following addendum to the clause is as follows: "YEAR 2000 COMPLIANT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY -- This requirement applies to information technology (IT) that processes date-related information. All such IT delivered under this contract shall be Year 2000 compliant as defined at FAR 39.002." FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The additional clauses cited under FAR 52.212-5, that are applicable to this acquisition areFAR 52.203-6, 52.219-4, 52.219-8, 52.219-14, 52.219-23, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, and 52.247-64. DFARS 252.225-7000, Buy American Act-Balance of Payments Program Certificate, applies to this acquisition and can be found at the following web site: http://heron.nrl.navy.mil/contracts. The clauses at DFARS 252.212-7001, Contracts Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes Applicable to Defense Acquisitions of Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The additional clauses cited under DFARS 252.212-7001 that are applicable to this acquisition are: DFARS 252.225-7001, 252.225-7007, 252.225-7012, 252.227-7015, 252.227-7037, 252.243-7002, and 252.247-7024. The contractor shall include the terms of the following clauses 252.204-7004 and 252.232-7009, which apply to this acquisition. Any contract awarded as a result of this solicitation will be a DO rated order certified for national use under the Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) (15.CFR 700). Any questions regarding this solicitation must be received no later than five (5) days prior to the closing date set forth below. Offers must be delivered to Contracting Officer, Code 3230.JA, Bldg. 222, Rm. 115A, Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20375-5326 and received no later than 4:00 PM EST on 15 July 1999. The package should be marked with the RFP number and the closing date of the solicitation. For information regarding this solicitation contact Jackie Anderson, Contract Administrator, at (202) 767-3698 or via e-mail at anderson@contracts.nrl.navy .mil. All responsible sources may submit a proposal, which shall be considered by the agency. NRL uses Electronic Commerce (EC) to issue RFP's and Amendments to RFP's. The solicitation and any amendments to it will be available via the internet at the URL address shown below. Paper copies of the RFP will not be provided. Posted 05/28/99 (W-SN336957). (0148)

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