Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) linear mode photon counting (LMPC) Avalanche Photodiode (APD) focal plane array (FPA)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has a requirement for a 2x30 and 7x8 pixel Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) linear mode photon counting (LMPC) Avalanche Photodiode (APD) focal plane array (FPA) in a liquid nitrogen Dewar housing.

NASA/GSFC intends to issue a sole-source Request for Proposal (RFP) to Leonardo DRS, Incorporated, for the HgCdTe LMPC APD FPA. NASA/GSFC, in partnership with Leonardo DRS, submitted a proposal entitled "Linear Mode Photon Counting HgCdTe Avalanche Photodiode Arrays for Multi-beam Laser Altimeters" to the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) NNH17ZDA001N-PICASSO, Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES-2017), Program Element C.12, Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO) Program. On April 11, 2018, NASA Headquarters selected this proposal to provide support to NASA. DRS will support the development of an advanced detector for swath mapping lidar. The period of performance is 26 months after the award.

Leonardo DRS is uniquely qualified because of their qualification and past performance of the prospective vendor as described below:

(a) DRS is the original inventor of this type of HgCdTe APD, trademarked HDVIP (high-density vertically-integrated photodiode), that has achieved the required performance. DRS has their company proprietary information about the fabrication processes. DRS has been producing this type of device since 2011 and has published several articles in peer reviewed scientific journals about the device.

(b) NASA GSFC has collaborated with DRS to modify the LMPC HgCdTe APD array design for space lidar applications since 2012 under a NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) Advanced Component Technology (ACT) program in 2012-2015. NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) has subsequently worked with DRS from 2015-2018 under another ESTO ACT program to further advance the technologies for passive radiometer applications. DRS has steadily improved the device performance and reliability under these past NASA investments.

(c) NASA GSFC have been using the HgCdTe APD arrays from DRS in third-party laboratory cryo-coolers in the airborne CO₂ and CH₄ lidar experiments since 2014. DRS has developed a mature technology to integrate their HgCdTe APD detector with these third party cryo-coolers. NASA GSFC has also developed interface electronics, control software, and signal processing techniques for this type of detectors. Procuring the device in a similar cooler housing will save development time at GSFC.

(d) DRS has been producing large array size LMPC HgCdTe APD arrays for other US government customers since 2013 in different operation mode. DRS have already designed the 2x30 and 7x8 pixel subarrays alongside the larger array as test structures. It is much lower risk to procure the 2x30 and 7x8 pixel array devices from DRS using their existing design with test data.

(e) The HgCdTe APD FPAs produced by DRS have been tested for radiation damage from proton and gamma ray at NASA GSFC. The test data shows they are capable of withstanding space radiation for a typical multi-year space mission.

Statutory authority for this sole source procurement is 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1)--Only One Responsible Source. However, organizations who believe they can provide these services without any detrimental impact to the program schedules supported by this work should fully identify their interest and capabilities within 15 days after publication of this synopsis.

Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 4:30 p.m. local time on August 24, 2018. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency.

The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See Note 26. An Ombudsman has been appointed. See NASA Specific Note "B". Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.