Scanning Threshold Particle Counter
Commerce (all) · DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST
Commerce is planning to buy "Scanning Threshold Particle Counter". This is an early notice: it is not taking bids yet. The work is in Gaithersburg, MD, USA. The original due date (Nov 14, 2024) has passed; check the latest amendment for the current one. In the last 2 years, similar work went to 3 companies, usually for about $77K per award. An award could come any day: the usual time to award has passed.
Put together from the facts on this page; the details and sources are below.
Capture briefs (a one-page, shareable copy of this page) are part of Pro. The CSV here holds the notice, its timeline and past awards.
Where this opportunity stands
Every notice posted under solicitation NIST-SS25-CHIPS-0012 in this department, oldest first.
- Oct 31, 2024 · this noticeSources Sought
- Oct 31, 2024Sources SoughtView
Next steps for this stage
Standard steps for the notice type; not advice about this buyer.
- Answer the notice: this is when the requirement can still be shaped.
- Contact the contracting officer named on the notice.
- Check who won similar work; they are the likely bidders.
What the notice says
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. One exemplary syst… (show all)
em 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 commercial item solution that meets or exceeds the following draft minimum specifications, inclusive of FOB Destination shipping and warranty: 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 Technical Specifications Capable of detecting nonvolatile residue particles and native particles in ultrapure water. Integrated particle generation and detection in a single unit. Material independent detection of particles in three size channels ? 3 nm, ? 9 nm and ? 15 nm. Capable of operating in dilute isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, and hydrochloric acid. HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORRMATION. 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 specialist 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). Identify laboratory equipment that your company sells that is of the nature addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice. Include brand name, make, model, and/or other distinguishing information. State if your company is the manufacturer of the identified equipment or is a retailer or wholesaler that normally sells the identified equipment. If the latter, indicate whether the manufacturer authorized in writing for your company to sell the identified equipment on behalf of the manufacturer. Describe performance capabilities and relevant or beneficial physical and functional features for any equipment you identified to satisfy the NIST-identified minimum specifications described in this notice. Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section above that could be viewed as unduly restrictive or contain unnecessary barriers that adversely affect your ability to fully participate and indicate why. In such a scenario, please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more inclusive and competitive. Discuss whether the equipment that your company sells and which you describe in your response to this notice may be customized to specifications and indicate any limits to customization. For the NAICS code listed in this notice: 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. If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement. 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 aforementioned 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 aforementioned equipment at its delivery destination, if required per the NIST-identified minimum specifications, and provide description of 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 inspecting the intended installation site during the market research phase. State published price, discount or rebate arrangements for aforementioned equipment and/or provide link to access company�s published prices for equipment and services. State whether the aforementioned equipment is manufactured in the United States and, if not,
Who won similar work
3 award notices on SAM.gov in the last 24 months. Matched by: Same office (DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST), same product/service code (PSC) 6695.
Single-winner award sizes (3): middle half $53K to $79K, median $77K; range $29K to $82K.
| Winner | Awards | Value | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| MENHIR PHOTONICS AG Glattbrugg 8152 CHE | 1 | $82K | Sep 9, 2026 |
| LABLOGIC SYSTEMS, INC. | 1 | $77K | Jul 18, 2025 |
| SMARACT INC. | 1 | $29K | Sep 4, 2026 |
Value counts new single-winner awards. "Shared" awards are multiple-award contracts that list every winner with the same total ceiling (same contract, or the same office, day and amount); that ceiling is not one company's win, so it is not added in. Contract modifications are not new awards and are not added in either. Notices whose amount is a placeholder such as $999,999,999 are not added in. Revenue next to a ticker is the company's revenue over the latest 12 months in its SEC filings.
- Sep 9, 2026MENHIR PHOTONICS AG Glattbrugg 8152 CHE$82KMode-Locked LaserNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Sep 4, 2026SMARACT INC.$29KUpgrade of the Cold Neutron Imaging Instrument, Phase Grating Roll Alignment SystemNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Jul 18, 2025LABLOGIC SYSTEMS, INC.$77KLiquid Scintillation CounterNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
Competitive landscape
For the 3 most frequent past winners above. Lobbying is matched by the company's exact name or exact ticker; agencies are as named on the filings.
- 0 of these past winners lobbied Commerce, Dept of (DOC) since 2024 (0 filings)
- 0 of their lobbyists list a past Commerce, Dept of (DOC) job
- No corporate PAC money from them to the overseeing committees since 2024
- 0 foreign-agent (FARA) registrations
Policy around it
Bills the past winners named while lobbying this agency's issues, rules from the department, and executive orders that name the agency, last 12 months.
- 0 bills named on the past winners' lobbying filings
- 380 rules from the department in the last 12 months
- 0 executive orders naming the agency in the last 12 months
Market
For past winners matched exactly to a listed company. Insider trades are open-market buys and sells (Form 4) in the last 90 days, shown as facts; our own study found insiders do not reliably buy ahead of awards. A sale marked 10b5-1 was made under a trading plan set up in advance.
- 0 of the past winners are listed companies
- 0 insider buys and 0 insider sells at them in the last 90 days
Sources: SAM.gov notices and award notices; Senate LDA lobbying filings; FEC filings; FARA; Federal Register; congress.gov; SEC Form 4. Every row above links to its record.
Companies are matched to tickers by exact name, including the subsidiaries a company lists in its SEC filings. A company we could not match shows no market rows; that is a miss, not a finding.