Sources Sought Silicon and Silicon/Germanium Epitaxial Wafers

Maryland

04/29/2025 10:34 AM EDT

04/29/2025 11:00 AM EDT

COMMERCE, DEPARTMENT OF - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY - DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST

The purpose of this sources sought notice is to conduct market research and identify potential sources of commercial products/services that satisfy the Government’s anticipated needs.

BACKGROUND

The CHIPS Metrology program develops and advances cutting edge metrology capabilities for members of the US semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.  This NIST conducted research program works with device manufacturers, tool vendors, materials suppliers, and other organizations to address critical metrology gaps to spur innovation within seven grand challenge areas.  For more information on CHIPS Metrology, please visit https://www.nist.gov/chips/research-development-programs/metrology-program

CHIPS Metrology researchers at NIST require high-quality epitaxial film stacks on silicon wafers.  Although we anticipate changes in the exact specifications of each wafer lot purchased, the general classes of wafer products can be well described.  NIST is seeking potential vendors for each of the five classes of wafers described below.  Note that exact specifications for lot size, layer count, thicknesses, and layer composition/doping being specified upon ordering.  Additionally, Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) and Spreading Resistance Profiling (SRP) data for each lot of wafers must be available for purchase as well.

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: 

The classes of wafer products are:

1. “Thin” doped Si on Si
   1. Fixed Parameters
      1. Substrate: 100 mm prime double side polished <100> Si wafers, 525 µm thick, SEMI standard flats.
      2. Film stack: Fully coherent Si with B and Ph dopants at concentrations up to 5×1020 cm−3 (atomic, no requirement for electrically active).  Total film stack thickness up to 1 µm with up to 5 layers, with no layers thinner than 10 nm. 
      3. Minimum lot size: 10 wafers
   2. Parameters configurable at time of order
      1. Substrate resistivity: The dopant (B, N, Ph, As, and Sb) and target resistivity (within ±10×)
      2. Film stack: The thickness and doping of each layer
      3. Lot size: Minimum order quantity if 10 wafers, but additional wafers of the same lot may be ordered with an additional per wafer cost.
      4. Optional SIMS data: dopant composition depth profiling for one wafer in the lot must be offered for additional cost per wafer lot.
      5. Optional SRP data: electrically active dopant profile as a function of depth for one wafer in the lot must be offered for additional cost per wafer lot.
2. “Thick” doped Si on Si
   1. Fixed Parameters
      1. Substrate: 100 mm prime double side polished <100> Si wafers, 525 µm thick, SEMI standard flats.
      2. Film stack: Fully coherent Si with B and Ph dopants at concentrations up to 5×1020 cm−3.  Total film thickness up to 10 µm in one layer.
      3. Minimum lot size: 10 wafers
   2. Parameters configurable at time of order
      1. Substrate resistivity: The dopant (B, N, Ph, As, and Sb) and target resistivity (within ±10×)
      2. Film stack: The thickness and doping of the doped Si layer
      3. Lot size: Minimum order quantity if 10 wafers, but additional wafers of the same lot may be ordered with an additional per wafer cost.
      4. Optional SIMS data: dopant composition depth profiling for one wafer in the lot must be offered for additional cost per wafer lot.
      5. Optional SRP data: electrically active dopant profile as a function of depth for one wafer in the lot must be offered for additional cost per wafer lot.
3. Isotopically enriched Si on Si
   1. Fixed Parameters
      1. Substrate: 100 mm prime double side polished <100> Si wafers, 525 µm thick, SEMI standard flats.
      2. Film stack: Fully coherent Si or 28Si with B, N, and Ph dopants at concentrations up to 5×1020 cm−3.  Total film thickness up to 100 nm with no layers thinner than 5 nm.
      3. Minimum lot size: 10 wafers
   2. Parameters configurable at time of order
      1. Substrate resistivity: The dopant (B, N, Ph, As, and Sb) and target resistivity (within ±10×)
      2. Film stack: The thickness, doping, and isotopic composition of each layer.
      3. Lot size: Minimum order quantity if 10 wafers, but additional wafers of the same lot may be ordered with an additional per wafer cost.
      4. Optional SIMS data: dopant and isotope composition depth profiling for one wafer in the lot must be offered for additional cost per wafer lot.
   3. *** Special Note *** NIST is seeking sources of the lower abundance stable isotopes of Si (e.g. 29Si or 30Si).  Please contact us to discuss the plausibility of these materials.
4. Thin Si and SiGe layers on Si
   1. Fixed Parameters
      1. Substrate: 100 mm prime double side polished <100> Si wafers, 525 µm thick, SEMI standard flats.
      2. Film stack: Fully coherent Si and Si1-xGex superlattices where x is between 0.1 and 0.4.  Total film thickness up to 250 nm with no layer thinner than 5 nm.  B and Ph dopants at concentrations up to 5×1020 cm−3.
      3. Minimum lot size: 10 wafers
   2. Parameters configurable at time of order
      1. Substrate resistivity: The dopant (B, N, Ph, As, or Sb) and target resistivity (within ±10×)
      2. Film stack: The thickness, Ge composition, and doping of each layer
      3. Lot size: Minimum order quantity if 10 wafers, but additional wafers of the same lot may be ordered with an additional per wafer cost.
      4. Optional SIMS data: dopant and SiGe composition depth profiling for one wafer in the lot must be offered for additional cost per wafer lot.
5. Thick SiGe on buffered Si
   1. Fixed Parameters
      1. Substrate: 100 mm prime double side polished <100> Si wafers, 525 µm thick, SEMI standard flats.
      2. Film stack: Virtual substrate created by relaxed buffer layer(s) of SiGe with a fully relaxed (relative to Si) Si1-xGex layer on top where x is between 0.1 and 0.4.  Thickness of the relaxed SiGe film thickness less than 10 µm.
      3. Minimum lot size: 10 wafers
   2. Parameters configurable at time of order
      1. Substrate resistivity: The dopant (B, N, Ph, As, or Sb) and target resistivity (within ±10×)
      2. Film stack: Relaxed SiGe thickness, Ge composition, and doping of the relaxed SiGe layer.  Vendors may create a virtual substrate with layers of SiGe buffers that matches the needs of the specified relaxed SiGe layer.
      3. Lot size: Minimum order quantity if 10 wafers, but additional wafers of the same lot may be ordered with an additional per wafer cost.
      4. Optional SIMS data: dopant and SiGe composition depth profiling for one wafer in the lot must be offered for additional cost per wafer lot.

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE

In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice.  Please note that to be considered for award under any official solicitation, the entity must be registered and “active” in SAM at the time of solicitation response.

• 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 the equipment that your company sells that can meet the objectives addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice.  For each product recommended to meet the Government’s requirement, provide the following:
  • Manufacturer name
  • Model number
  • Technical specifications
  • If your company is not the manufacturer, provide information on your company’s status as an authorized reseller of the product(s)
• Describe performance capabilities of the product(s) your company recommends to meet the Government’s requirements.  Additionally, if there are other features or functions that you believe would assist NIST in meeting its objectives described above, please discuss in your response.
  • 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.
• Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section you cannot meet and state why.  Please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more competitive.
• State whether the proposed equipment is manufactured in the United States and, if not, state the name of the country where the equipment is manufactured.
• Identify any plans/possibilities for changes in manufacturing location of the aforementioned equipment and provide relevant details, including timeline.
• 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 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. 
• If the recommended equipment and related services are available for purchase on any existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts against which NIST may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.
• 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.