INSTRUCTION FOR COMPLETING COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORMS

INSTRUCTION FOR COMPLETING

COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORMS

The Competitive Solicitation Acknowledgement Form must be completely filled in. This

may be done on line then printed or you may print then fill in with pen or typewriter.

PLEASE NOTE: IF THIS IS NOT COMPLETED IT MAY BE GROUNDS FOR

REJECTING YOUR SOLICITATION.

NOTICE TO RESPONDERS:

Responders must Mail or Fax Verification of Receipt of Competitive Solicitation.

E-Mail Mary Ward at

[email protected]

or Fax Attention: Mary Ward, (850)

644-8921.

RFI 5434-3 07/30/2010

QUASI-OPTIC SPECTROMETER AT 94 GHz (HIPER)

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

QUASI-OPTIC SPECTROMETER AT 94 GHz (HIPER) RFI-5434-3

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL)at Florida State University has requested that an Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrometer system be

purchased. The Purchasing Department is considering a non-competitive procurement of the EPR spectrometer system on the grounds that only one supplier can meet the requirements stipulated by the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory for their research. As a part of the sole source investigation, this letter seeks information from vendors who sell EPR spectrometer systems and could possibly provide competitive product/services.

BACKGROUND/FEATURES

The vendor under consideration by the NHMFL is University of St. Andrews. The high time resolution of this instrument, coupled with the high frequency, (less than 5 ns deadtime instead of a typical 100 ns for commercial instruments) allows the investigation of radicals and spin system with very fast spin dynamics, and thus open the way for the investigation of spin dynamics in a time regime that had until now been inaccessible. System will be a copy of the present HIPER EPR system (as described in Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol.80,

pp.103102-15, Oct 2009) operating at low power at 94 GHz, incorporating recent and ongoing hardware and software improvements, where the system will be designed to allow operation at high power (kW) in the future.

EQUIPMENT (Design and Hardware Specifications)

The system will include a number of electronic modules and test equipment controlled by software written in Labview CVI that will allow flexibility in setting up experiments, specifying complex pulse sequences and recording.

The system must meet the following:

Quasi-Optics and supporting structure – to be manufactured by Thomas Keating as a copy of the current HIPER system functioning as a very high-performance induction mode EPR spectrometer with extremely low deadtime. This will include:

Supporting Rexroth structure Base Plates to hold components

Frequency independent focussing mirrors in a configuration to significantly reduce coma aberrations at 94GHz

3 quasi-optical isolators and associated polarisers and loads to provide low loss isolation and very low return loss between source and sample

2 quasi-optical isolators and associated polarisers and loads to provide low loss isolation and very low return loss between sample and detector

Corrugated pipe adapted for specified flow cryostat (Stainless steel) Integrated vacuum window designed to have very low return loss

Integrated Swing Arm to allow probe and samples to be removed efficiently

Source and Detector high purity Gaussian feedhorns (Copper and Stainless Steel)

Stainless steel feedhorn with copper extension (to sample-holder) to be attached to corrugated pipe

Stainless steel corrugated pipe extension for ultra-low deadtime Various non-resonant sample-holders incorporating fast sample holder The design will permit operation in non-induction mode

Electronic modules – the electronics will consist of a number of separate modules held in two 19 inch rack units.

1. 10 MHz module – this module supplies a number of 10MHz outputs ((2 square wave outputs and 9 sine outputs) derived from a very low noise ovenised 10MHz control reference used as the overall system clock to provide very long term stability.

2. Main Source Module – provides a number of software selectable low phase noise source options (locked to EIP counters for long term stability) nominally @ 7.6833 GHz

3. Interpolation Module - provides a separate coherent source derived from the main source via a low noise 150 MHz upconversion, to nominally provide a signal

@7.833GHz and a tracking filter. This combination allows stable coherent detection. 4. ELDOR module – provides software selectable built in low noise source (or separate

external source) that can be switched into the source path (intentionally incoherent with the main source or local oscillator).

5. Phase module – allows fast phase switching and selection of different phases (current design is 4 but about to be upgraded to 16) for both main source and ELDOR channels 6. Fast switch Module – allows low power pulse formation with very fast rise- and fall-times

(determined by instantaneous bandwidth of multiplier) – controlled by output from Parbert – for both main source and ELDOR channels. On the existing system at low power the rise-times and fall-times are <100ps.

7. Multiplier/WG module – multiplies to produce 100 mW @ ~ 94GHz +- several GHz. Also incorporates a software controllable 60 dB (50 dB linear) WG attenuator and forward and reverse power monitors (with associated couplers)

8. Receiver module – incorporating a 94 GHz multiplier, mixer, low noise IF amplifiers, fast receiver protection and a suitable delay line for the local oscillator

9. IQ demodulator incorporating at least 2 selectable low noise 1800 MHz sources – one derived from the 150MHz source via a suitable delay line. This also includes 3 software selectable filters - wideband (1 GHz), PELDOR (40 MHz), cw (few MHz) and software selectable gain

10. Power supply Module – to supply all the low noise dc power requirements for the system (replacing the multiple power supplies currently in use)

11. Interlock Box – to prevent operation unless the probe is in place (mainly for high power operation)

Other Electronic Equipment: - in addition a number of electronic equipment modules and components to be incorporated

Industrial PC and flat screen

Multiple flat screens for monitoring around spectrometer National Instruments IEE Cards

High performance microwave cabling Highland Technologies (2 DDG cards)

Audio Amplifier – to power the modulation coil for cw operation (not software interfaced) Stanford Low frequency SR760 FFT spectrum analyser

Stanford SR830 Lock-in amplifier LeCroy Fast sampling Scope 3 EIP counters

Agilent PARBERT system in VXI crate Aqiris fast sampling card

Software - software will be supplied to run the instrument that will be similar in essential detail to the software designed and used in the present HIPER system. The software runs under LabWindows CVI and controls virtually all aspects of the instrument and allows almost arbitrary pulse sequences to be setup in a easy to use front-end interface. It also allows data to be efficiently recorded either via the Aqiris card or LeCroy scope along with virtually all associated experimental parameters for many common pulse experiments. The instrument can be

monitored via the web.

If your company can offer a high Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectrometer system as a purchased system and can meet or exceed the requirements listed herein, please submit a written response to the Purchasing Department no later than 5:00PM, August 27, 2010. Note:

This is not a request for pricing, only information gathering.

The University shall be the sole judge of the results of this investigation. If the decision is made to waive bidding and proceed with Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrometer system by purchased system procurement on a sole source basis, appropriate public notice shall be posted in the Purchasing Department.

Inquiries should be addressed to the Purchasing Department, not to personnel at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by telephone at 850-644-6850, by fax at 850-644-8921, or by e-mail at [email protected].

Your assistance in this matter is appreciated. Sincerely,

Nicholas Lybbert Purchasing Specialist