Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, 6000 East 21st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219-2189

A -- BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT SOL N00163-95-R-0155 DUE 050295 POC Contracting Officer, Jeffrey C. Rosenberry, (317)351-4626, Additional Contact, FACSIMILE, (317)353-3066 This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is issued under the provisions of FAR 6.102(d)(2). This BAA constitutes the solicitation and no formal Request for Proposal will be issued. This BAA is issued to obtain research, study, or basic development proposals which address research and development programs that advance the state-of-the-art in technical areas related to the production of Printed Wiring Board Assemblies (PWBAs) utilizing Surface Mount Technology (SMT) components and processes. The Electronics Manufacturing Productivity Facility (EMPF), the Navy's National Center of Excellence for electronics manufacturing, is funding the research to be conducted under this BAA. The topics detailed below directly support the EMPF's mission to develop and transfer manufacturing technologies to increase domestic productivity in electronics manufacturing for both military and commercial products. The topics of interest are as follows: TOPIC (1) CONDUCTIVE POLYMERS ELECTRONICS INTEGRATION - Agility, better performance, lower cost, and environmentally safe manufacturing are key directions for military electronics and the electronics industry as a whole. Polymer material provide many potential advantages for the electronics industry that include: (1) elimination of cleaning processes; (2) lower manufacturing temperatures (increased reliability); (3) elimination of processes that produce hazardous waste; and (4) the ability to implement simple, cost-effective recycling processes. Research should focus on processes, methodologies, and product conversion and implementation using polymer manufacturing technologies. To ensure successful implementation, an understanding of polymer manufacturing technologies within the military and high reliability commercial manufacturing industry must also be demonstrated. TOPIC (2) ADVANCED APPLICATIONS OF IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY & ELECTROCHEMISTRY (IS&E) - The purpose of this initiative is to develop innovative techniques which utilize IS&E to analyze critical characteristics of materials used in electronics manufacturing. Some potential research efforts include: (1) measuring and evaluating organic coatings over bare copper; (2) measuring the integrity of thick film inks; and (3) measuring the cure and adhesion of solder masks and conformal coating. Innovative research efforts addressing other material control issues in electronics manufacturing will also be considered. The primary objective of this topic is to determine viable applications of IS&E to better control or implement materials used in electronics manufacturing. Research must address the sensitivity of AC impedance measurements on changes in the application of materials or in the bulk material itself. This effort will be a precursor to further material control development and commercialization efforts. The ultimate goal of this research is to establish commercializable Statistical Process Control (SPC) tools that can be used to tightly control materials used in electronics manufacturing processes. These SPC tools must be able to detect slight changes in material properties and be capable of predicting the probable causes associated with these changes. In addition, these manufacturing systems will potentially provide yield impact information. These SPC tools would potentially improve yields, reduce manufacturing costs, and improve the materials themselves through a better understanding of their behavior and performance. TOPIC (3) SOLDER PASTE RESIDUE ANALYSIS & PREDICTION OF PRODUCT RELIABILITY IMPACTS - Problems associated with solder flux residues in electronics manufacturing processes include the following: (1) moisture absorption; (2) AC leakage; and (3) the corrosive or conductive constituents of the flux residue being entrapped on the surface after the soldering process and subsequent cleaning. The nature of flux residues remaining on the PWBA surface is of paramount concern for reliability issues. The primary focus of this research is to establish relationships between the electrical impedance of electrochemical measurements of flux residues and the potential corrosive mechanisms they contain. From these relationships, process controls could be put in place to quantify these residues and predict their behavior over time as it relates to operational life and reliability of electronics assemblies. The ultimate goal of this research is to establish commercializable tools that can be used by the electronics industry to control and understand residues obtained from SMT manufacturing processes. These tools will detect slight changes in the residue and be capable of allowing manufacturers to correct manufacturing processes and to predict the potential effect of the residue on reliability. CONTRACT AWARD(S) - All topics are open to all commercial firms (including small businesses/minority business enterprises), organizations interested in conducting scientific research, colleges and universities, and nonprofit research institutions. A cost reimbursement completion type contract is contemplated for each topic. For any awards made to a commercial business, a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee type contract (see FAR 16.306) is anticipated. For any awards made to Colleges/Universities or nonprofit research institutions, a Cost type contract (see FAR 16.302) is anticipated. Funding in the amount of approximately $400,000 is available for the topics described in this BAA. The funding breakdown and contract award(s) are tentatively planned as follows: TOPIC (1) - $100,000 and one award; TOPIC (2) - $150,000 and a liklihood of two awards; and TOPIC (3) - $150,000 and a liklihood of two awards. However, the Government reserves the right to select for award any, all, part, or none of the proposals received in response to this BAA. TECHNICAL INTERCHANGE - Offerors are invited and encouraged to contact either Mr. Mike Frederickson at telephone (317) 226-5603 or Mr. Ross Edward at telephone (317) 226-5605 prior to submission of proposals. However, all communications after the submission of proposals must be addressed to the Contracting Officer, Mr. Jeff Rosenberry at telephone (317) 351-4626. EVALUATION CRITERIA - All proposals received will be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria listed in order of importance. (A) New and innovative solutions to the technical issues of this BAA. (B) The feasibility/practicality of an operational implementation of the technical approach and technical objectives. (C) The offeror's understanding of the technical matters, demonstrated or supported by examples of specific accomplishments presented for consideration. If the offeror has had no previous experience with the proposed technology, strong justification must be presented. (D) The offeror's ability to implement the proposed appraoch as demonstrated by adequate detailed analysis and supported by specific accomplishments in the technical field of the proposal. (E) The availability of qualified personnel with the requisite expertise to accomplish the tasks as proposed. (F) Past performance, as indicated be evidence such as published research reports, patents, commercial applications, etc., pertinent to the offeror's proposed technical approach. (G) A credible business case which documents how the offeror will aggressively leverage the EMPF funding (such as actual production implementation, expanded scope achieved with complimentary R&D, additional funding through other sources, or commercialization approaches). (H) The availability of unlimited rights in technical data and/or computer algorithms. (I) Cost and cost realism. The evaluation will be used to determine the relative mertis of the technical approach taken on each response to this BAA. Evaluation and selection of proposal(s) for award(s) will be based upon the best value to the Government. PROPOSALS - Each topic is considered a stand-alone efforts and shall be addressed by a separate proposal. An offeror does not have to provide a proposal for each topic to be considered responsive to this BAA. Three copies of the proposal must be submitted to the following address to be considered: Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, 6000 East 21st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219-2189, Attn: Bid Opening Officer. The proposal shall consist of a Technical and Management Proposal (Part I) and a Cost/Price Proposal (Part II). Part I shall not exceed 25 pages (single space, 10 pitch) excluding resumes and abstracts. Resumes and abstracts should not exceed an additional 25 pages. Part I shall consist of the following: (1) An executive summary of the proposed research effort; (2) A full description of the scope/description of the technical approach used to meet the topic requirements; (3) The nature and objectives of the proposed research effort; (4) The rationale for the technical approach and methodology (including expected results and contributions to the EMPF goals); (5) A summary of relevant experience and past performance (including abstracts of the Principal Investigator's published research papers which are pertinent to the proposal); (6) A description of the facilities and equipment to be used to meet the requirements; (7) The organization structure and personnel (including resumes) who will perform the research; (8) A detailed schedule; and (9) A Statement of Work (SOW) suitable for contractual incorporation (also excluded from page limitations). Part II shall consist of the following: (1) A one-to-two page cost summary; (2) Supporting pages to include a detailed breakdown of labor categories, equipment, travel costs, any other direct or indirect costs, and profit/fee; (3) A monthly funding profile; and (4) Any recommendation and rationale for an alternative contract type. This announcement will remain open through 2:00 pm local (Indianapolis) time 2 May 1995 and proposals may be submitted anytime during this period. The Government shall not pay for proposals or the preparation of proposals submitted in response to this BAA. Offerors submitting proposals are cautioned that only a Government Contracting Officer may obligate the Government to any agreements involving the expenditure of Government funds. Any negotiations that may be necessary will be conducted between the offeror and the Government Contracting Officer or representative. Upon selection for award of contract(s), the contractor(s) will be required to complete Government furnished certifications and representations and to make certain legal commitments through acceptance of Government clauses in the contract. (0065)

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