Opportunity Information: Apply for BAA VS 06 05CALL0018
Apply for BAA VS 06 05CALL0018
- The Air Force Research Lab in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Space Electronics Open 5 Year Broad Agency Announcement Call 0018, Design and Fabrication of Semiconductor Nanoscale Devices to Enable Novel Optoelectronic, Extremely Low Ppower and High Performance Digital Analog, Mixed Signal and RF applications" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 30, 2010 and posted on Jun 30, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 2, 2010 100 PM MDT on 2 AUG 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $300,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Unrestricted
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Opportunity Summary:
This opportunity is a proposal call (CALL 0018) issued under the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Electronics Open 5 Year Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) VS 06 05, managed within AFRL's Directed Energy and Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. The call focuses on designing and fabricating semiconductor devices with nanoscale features small enough that their critical dimensions move into the quantum electronic regime, then experimentally measuring their real-world performance limits. In plain terms, AFRL is looking for research that goes beyond theory and simulation by actually building quantum-scale or near-quantum-scale electronic and optoelectronic devices and characterizing how carriers move through them under electrical and/or optical excitation. The motivation is that when device dimensions shrink far enough, electrons begin to exhibit more wave-like behavior and classical circuit assumptions about resistance, capacitance, and inductance shift toward more complex microscopic effects. AFRL is interested in leveraging those effects to unlock new device behavior, improved transistor switching characteristics (including potentially much steeper subthreshold behavior), and engineered semiconductor band structures that couple more effectively to photons at targeted wavelengths.
The technical thrust is strongly tied to space-relevant needs where conventional planar semiconductor technology is running into power and leakage constraints, especially under high-temperature operation and high duty cycle conditions. The announcement specifically calls out limitations in state-of-the-art processors and memories driven by leakage mechanisms such as Fowler-Nordheim tunneling through gates and subthreshold leakage, which become increasingly problematic as power density rises. AFRL is therefore aiming to explore nanoscale and quantum-effect devices, including nanowire-based devices, as a path to extremely low power and high performance digital electronics, while also enabling high-performance analog, mixed-signal, and RF functions. On the optoelectronics side, the call highlights the potential for nanowire and quantum-scale devices to dramatically improve the bandwidth of digital interfaces and communications links, including both inter-satellite and intra-satellite communications, as well as to support multispectral sensing from infrared through visible wavelengths.
A key element of the approach AFRL wants to see is the use of advanced fabrication methods combining state-of-the-art lithographic patterning with nanoscale epitaxial growth. The announcement emphasizes that epitaxial, additive growth methods can deliver improved material quality compared with subtractive etch-based approaches, including more well-defined crystal facets and fewer scattering and recombination centers, and it notes the added benefit of in situ passivation to isolate active regions. The core research goal is to fabricate these nanoscale devices and then perform optical and electrical characterization to empirically extract operating parameters and build a real understanding of carrier transport at these scales. AFRL also points to future-facing integration ideas, such as interfacing quantum-scale semiconductor devices with self-assembled organic or inorganic particles to develop new electronic and optical architectures, suggesting that proposals that connect device physics to integration concepts and application pull may be particularly aligned.
The work is expected to be carried out in close coordination with AFRL's Electronics Foundations Research Section (AFRL/RVSEF). From a deliverables perspective, the government is not only looking for fabricated structures and lab measurements, but for a coherent experimental dataset and analysis that establishes performance metrics across a variety of fabricated optical and electronic device types. The announcement indicates that the devices produced under this effort will then be used by RVSEF in prototype application demonstrations to validate the usefulness of the measured device concepts. The primary formal deliverable is a report detailing the empirical performance of the devices fabricated using the proposed lithographic and epitaxial methods, including the operating parameters derived from characterization.
In terms of funding and schedule, the call estimates total funding of about $300,000 across three fiscal years (FY10, FY11, FY12) at approximately $100,000 per year, noting that this is an estimate and not a contractual promise and that funding is subject to availability and government discretion. The anticipated period of performance is 33 months of technical work plus an additional 3 months for final report submission, which effectively defines a roughly 3-year effort from award start through final documentation. The Air Force anticipates making one award, though it reserves the right to make multiple awards or none. The anticipated award date is around October 15, 2010.
The solicitation allows for different award instruments depending on the nature of the proposed work, with AFRL anticipating either a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) contract or a grant, reserving the right to select the instrument that best matches the effort. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement stated. The opportunity is listed as unrestricted eligibility, meaning a broad set of applicants may be considered, consistent with the BAA rules. The program security classification is unclassified, and the final technical report is assumed not to be subject to ITAR restrictions, which lowers barriers to publishing and broader collaboration, though proposers still need to handle any sensitive or proprietary information appropriately.
The submission requirements are strict and somewhat old-school for the time: the technical proposal (including the cost/schedule statement of work content referenced as the C SOW) is limited to five pages, single-spaced, double-sided on 8.5x11 inch paper, with readable font requirements; importantly, nearly everything counts toward the five-page limit, including resumes, appendices, attachments, and foldouts (with a foldout counting as two pages). Pages beyond the limit will not be considered. The due date is 1:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on August 2, 2010. For contract-type submissions, proposals had to be physically delivered to the designated contracting office at Kirtland AFB and could not be submitted by fax or email. For grant opportunities under the BAA, electronic submission was to be done through Grants.gov only, with other electronic methods explicitly rejected. Offerors were also encouraged (as a courtesy) to email the contracting contact with an intent to propose notice, though that notice was not binding.
The named technical point of contact for technical questions is Dr. A. K. Sharma (AFRL/RVSE) at Kirtland AFB. The contracting points of contact are Contract Specialist Sarah Hammond and Contracting Officer Annette Griego Shaw (Det 8, AFRL/RVKE). The call also reminds applicants that all baseline requirements of BAA VS 06 05 apply unless specifically amended by the call, and it highlights administrative compliance items such as representations and certifications through ORCA (as it existed then) and the DFARS requirements to identify and assert any restrictions on technical data or software delivered with less than unlimited rights. In practice, that means proposers needed to be careful to clearly mark any proprietary data assertions at proposal time, because failure to provide the required identification and assertion form could make a proposal ineligible for award.
Overall, CALL 0018 is essentially AFRL asking for an experimentally grounded nanoscale device program: design the devices, fabricate them using advanced lithography and nanoscale epitaxy (including nanowire-type structures), characterize carrier transport and operating limits using optical and electrical methods, and deliver an empirical performance report that AFRL can use to judge whether these quantum-regime devices can realistically improve space electronics in low-power, high-temperature, high-duty-cycle computing and memory, and in high-bandwidth optoelectronic links and sensing across IR-to-visible spectral bands.
FAQs: AFRL Space Electronics BAA (CALL 0018)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a proposal call (CALL 0018) issued under the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Electronics Open 5 Year Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) VS 06 05. It is managed within AFRL's Directed Energy and Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico.
What is the main goal of CALL 0018?
The call seeks research that designs and fabricates semiconductor devices with nanoscale features small enough that critical dimensions enter the quantum electronic regime (or near-quantum-scale), and then experimentally measures real-world performance limits. The emphasis is on building and characterizing devices, not only modeling or simulating them.
What kinds of devices or technologies are of interest?
The opportunity targets quantum-scale or near-quantum-scale electronic and optoelectronic semiconductor devices, including nanowire-based devices. It also mentions future integration ideas such as interfacing quantum-scale semiconductor devices with self-assembled organic or inorganic particles to develop new electronic and optical architectures.
What is AFRL trying to learn or prove through this work?
AFRL is looking to empirically understand how carriers move through these extremely small devices under electrical and/or optical excitation, and to establish operating parameters and performance metrics. As devices shrink, electron behavior becomes more wave-like and classical assumptions about resistance, capacitance, and inductance become less accurate, so the call is focused on measuring and understanding those microscopic/quantum-regime effects in real fabricated structures.
Why is AFRL interested in this topic for space applications?
The call is tied to space-relevant needs where conventional planar semiconductor technology faces power and leakage limits, especially under high-temperature operation and high duty cycle conditions. It specifically points to leakage mechanisms such as Fowler-Nordheim tunneling through gates and subthreshold leakage as growing issues as power density rises.
How does this work relate to low-power digital electronics?
AFRL is exploring nanoscale and quantum-effect devices (including nanowire-based approaches) as potential paths to extremely low power and high performance digital electronics. The call also notes interest in improved transistor switching characteristics, including potentially much steeper subthreshold behavior.
Are analog, mixed-signal, or RF applications included?
Yes. In addition to digital electronics, the call indicates interest in enabling high-performance analog, mixed-signal, and RF functions using nanoscale/quantum-effect device approaches.
What optoelectronics capabilities are being targeted?
On the optoelectronics side, the call highlights potential for nanowire and quantum-scale devices to improve bandwidth for digital interfaces and communications links, including inter-satellite and intra-satellite communications. It also mentions multispectral sensing spanning infrared through visible wavelengths.
What fabrication approaches does AFRL want to see?
The call emphasizes advanced fabrication that combines state-of-the-art lithographic patterning with nanoscale epitaxial (additive) growth. It notes that epitaxial additive growth may yield improved material quality versus subtractive etch-based approaches, including better-defined crystal facets, fewer scattering/recombination centers, and the potential for in situ passivation to isolate active regions.
What kind of testing and characterization is expected?
Proposed work is expected to include both optical and electrical characterization to empirically extract operating parameters and build a real understanding of carrier transport at these scales. The desired outcome is a coherent experimental dataset and analysis establishing performance metrics across a variety of fabricated optical and electronic device types.
What are the expected deliverables?
The primary formal deliverable is a report detailing the empirical performance of the devices fabricated using the proposed lithographic and epitaxial methods, including operating parameters derived from characterization. The call also indicates the government expects fabricated structures and lab measurements, along with a coherent dataset and analysis.
How will AFRL use the devices and results after the project?
The announcement states that devices produced under this effort will be used by AFRL/RVSEF in prototype application demonstrations to validate the usefulness of the measured device concepts.
Is coordination with AFRL part of the expectation?
Yes. The work is expected to be carried out in close coordination with AFRL's Electronics Foundations Research Section (AFRL/RVSEF).
What is the estimated funding amount?
The call estimates total funding of about $300,000 across three fiscal years (FY10, FY11, FY12), at approximately $100,000 per year. This is described as an estimate rather than a contractual promise, and funding is subject to availability and government discretion.
How long is the period of performance?
The anticipated period of performance is 33 months of technical work plus an additional 3 months for final report submission (roughly a 3-year effort from award start through final documentation).
How many awards does AFRL expect to make?
The Air Force anticipates making one award, while reserving the right to make multiple awards or no awards.
What is the anticipated award date?
The anticipated award date is around October 15, 2010.
What award instrument will be used (contract or grant)?
The solicitation allows different instruments depending on the nature of the proposed work. AFRL anticipates either a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) contract or a grant, and reserves the right to select the instrument that best matches the effort.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost-sharing or matching requirement is stated in the information provided.
Who is eligible to apply?
The opportunity is described as unrestricted eligibility, meaning a broad set of applicants may be considered, consistent with the BAA rules.
Is the work classified?
The program security classification is unclassified.
Are there ITAR restrictions on the final technical report?
The final technical report is assumed not to be subject to ITAR restrictions, which may lower barriers to publishing and broader collaboration. Proposers are still expected to handle any sensitive or proprietary information appropriately.
What is the proposal page limit?
The technical proposal (including the cost/schedule statement of work content referenced as the C SOW) is limited to five pages, single-spaced, double-sided on 8.5x11 inch paper, with readable font requirements.
Do resumes and appendices count toward the page limit?
Yes. Nearly everything counts toward the five-page limit, including resumes, appendices, attachments, and foldouts. A foldout counts as two pages. Pages beyond the limit will not be considered.
When is the proposal due?
The due date is 1:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on August 2, 2010.
How should proposals be submitted for contract-type awards?
For contract-type submissions, proposals had to be physically delivered to the designated contracting office at Kirtland AFB. Fax and email submissions were not accepted for contract proposals.
How should proposals be submitted for grant-type awards?
For grant opportunities under the BAA, electronic submission was to be done through Grants.gov only. Other electronic submission methods were explicitly rejected.
Is an intent-to-propose notice required?
Offerors were encouraged (as a courtesy) to email the contracting contact with an intent to propose notice, but that notice was not binding.
Who is the technical point of contact for questions?
The technical point of contact is Dr. A. K. Sharma (AFRL/RVSE) at Kirtland AFB.
Who are the contracting points of contact?
The contracting points of contact are Contract Specialist Sarah Hammond and Contracting Officer Annette Griego Shaw (Det 8, AFRL/RVKE).
Do BAA VS 06 05 baseline requirements still apply?
Yes. The call states that all baseline requirements of BAA VS 06 05 apply unless specifically amended by CALL 0018.
Are there administrative compliance items applicants should watch for?
Yes. The call highlights items such as representations and certifications through ORCA (as it existed at the time) and DFARS requirements to identify and assert any restrictions on technical data or software delivered with less than unlimited rights.
What happens if a proposer fails to properly assert restrictions on technical data or software?
The call warns that proposers must clearly mark any proprietary data assertions at proposal time, and that failure to provide the required identification and assertion form could make a proposal ineligible for award.
Is purely theoretical or simulation-only work responsive to the call?
The stated focus is on research that goes beyond theory and simulation by actually building devices and experimentally characterizing their performance limits. Proposals centered only on theory/simulation would not match that emphasis based on the information provided.
What types of performance limits or parameters is AFRL looking to measure?
The call seeks experimentally derived operating parameters and performance metrics that clarify carrier transport and device behavior in the quantum or near-quantum regime, including effects that alter classical expectations for resistance, capacitance, and inductance, and that may enable new device behavior and improved switching characteristics.
What leakage mechanisms are motivating the research?
The announcement calls out leakage mechanisms such as Fowler-Nordheim tunneling through gates and subthreshold leakage as key limitations in state-of-the-art processors and memories, especially as power density rises.
What kinds of wavelengths are relevant for the optoelectronics portion?
The call mentions multispectral sensing spanning infrared through visible wavelengths, and it also references engineered semiconductor band structures that couple more effectively to photons at targeted wavelengths.
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