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.

One exemplary system of study is ultra-pure water (UPW) as semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs) can utilize upwards of 3.4 × 107 L d-1 (9 × 106 gal d-1 or ≈ 14 Olympic-size swimming pools) of UPW, and it is used in all wet-processing steps where, to a large extent, the cleanliness, and hence yield, of a wafer is determined by the purity of the water. Further, the International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS) has identified that a “Lack of proven particle metrology limits the ability to confirm whether UF (ultrafiltration of UPW) is effective in controlling killer size particles down to the critical particle size”.

Aerosol-based testing of UF will require nebulizing and drying a UPW stream to form an aerosol and simultaneously measuring the upstream and downstream particle size distributions and number densities. This aerosolization process directly mimics what occurs on-wafer. These aerosol-based methods are quickly gaining acceptance and NIST research would speed these efforts.

Specifically, we require a scanning threshold particle counter (STPC) that is a turnkey system that adheres to the SEMI C79 (Guide to Evaluate the Efficacy of Sub-15 nm Filters Used in Ultrapure Water (UPW) Distribution Systems) and SEMI C93 (Guide for Determining the Quality of Ion Exchange Resin Used in Polish Applications of Ultrapure Water System) standards. The STPC should be capable of detecting nonvolatile residue particles and native particles in ultrapure water and have particle generation and detection integrated into a single unit. Detection of particles by the STPC should be material independent and capable of being segregated into three size channels for particles ≥ 3 nm, ≥ 9 nm and ≥ 15 nm in size. Additionally, the STPC should be capable of operating in dilute isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, and hydrochloric acid.

All components will be used in a standard indoor chemistry laboratory with temperatures between 18 °C and 24 °C and relative humidities between 20 % and 80 % (non-condensing) and standard 120 V 20 A/30A power.

The STPC will be used as one component in a larger system designed to measure the efficiency of a laboratory-scale UF system that has been configured for the quantitative determination of UF efficiency to particles with sizes spanning ≈ 1 nm to ≈ 50 nm and a range of chemistries and morphologies (e.g., spherical, rod, etc.).

NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a solution that will achieve the objectives described above, in addition to the following essential requirements:

Line Item 0001: STPC

Description: Turnkey system that adheres to SEMI C79 (Guide to Evaluate the Efficacy of Sub-15 nm Filters Used in Ultrapure Water (UPW) Distribution Systems) and SEMI C93 (Guide for Determining the Quality of Ion Exchange Resin Used in Polish Applications of Ultrapure Water System) standards.

Quantity: 1

1. Technical Specifications
   1. Capable of detecting nonvolatile residue particles and native particles in ultrapure water.
   2. Integrated particle generation and detection in a single unit.
   3. Material independent detection of particles in three size channels ≥ 3 nm, ≥ 9 nm and ≥ 15 nm.
   4. Capable of operating in dilute isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, and hydrochloric acid.

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE

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• 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).

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• Describe services that are available with the purchase of the aforementioned equipment from your company such as installation, training, and equipment maintenance.

• Describe standard terms and conditions of sale offered by your company for the recommended equipment such as: delivery time after your company accepts the order; FOB shipping terms; manufacturer warranty (including details regarding nature and duration); if available, description(s) of available extended warranty; equipment setup and test; operator and service instruction manual(s); cleanup after installation; and if applicable, other offered services. Provide a copy of manufacturer standard terms and conditions that typically relate to the sale of the specified equipment, if available.

• State whether your company offers facility renovation services related to installation of the recommended equipment at its delivery destination, if required per the NIST-identified minimum specifications, and provide description of said services. Indicate if your company performs the facility renovation services or typically subcontracts the work to another company. Indicate if your company would be interested in inspecting the intended installation site during the market research phase.

• State published price, discount, or rebate arrangements for recommended equipment and/or provide link to access company’s published prices for equipment and services.

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• Identify any customers in the public or private sectors to which you provided the recommended or similar equipment. Include customer(s) information: company name, phone number, point of contact, email address.

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

• State if you require NIST to provide additional information to improve your understanding of the government’s requirement and/or would like to meet with NIST representatives to discuss the requirement and the capabilities of the identified equipment.

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 so that they are received 5 days prior to the response date. If the Contracting Officer determines that providing a written amendment to this notice to document question(s) received would benefit other potential respondents, the questions would be anonymized, and a written response to such question(s) would be provided via an amendment to this notice.

IMPORTANT NOTES

This notice is for market research purposes and should not be construed as a commitment by NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. There is no solicitation available at this time.

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response.

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

Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capability.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

After a review of the responses received, a synopsis and solicitation may be published on GSA’s eBuy or SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered an adequate response to any such solicitation(s).

The responses shall not exceed 10 pages including all attachments, charts, etc.

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

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