United Kingdom8 days leftOpen

Purchase of maskless laser lithography system

Tender Overview

ORGANIZATION

Cardiff University

LOCATION

United Kingdom, United Kingdom

VALUE

£498,000

DEADLINE

February 11, 2026 at 00:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

31600000

REFERENCE

007806-2026

Project Timeline

Contact Information

View Original

Original Tender Description

The Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS) intends to procure a maskless laser lithography system to support essential expansion of its hybrid electro-optical lithography capability. The system will enable processing in which wafers are exposed using both electron-beam lithography and optical radiation within the same resist layer(s), or across multiple aligned resist layers. ICS has previously invested €2.5 M in a state-of-the-art electron beam lithography platform capable of patterning nanoscale features down to 10 nm. To fully realise the benefits of hybrid lithography workflows, ICS requires a complementary optical lithography system capable of producing large-area exposures (several millimetres) with feature sizes down to approximately 300 nm, while maintaining extremely high positioning and overlay accuracy with respect to electron-beam-defined structures. The required system must incorporate: a high-resolution optically encoded stage with positioning fidelity on the order of 1 nm; the capability for stitch-free patterning across full wafers up to 200 mm in diameter; demonstrated overlay accuracy of approximately 15 nm (optical-to-electron-beam alignment); software and workflow compatibility to support integrated hybrid lithography between electron-beam and optical exposures. ICS has undertaken a technical review of the market and believes that only one supplier Raith can provide a maskless laser lithography system meeting these combined requirements for stage precision, stitch-free wafer-scale patterning, and proven sub-20 nm optical-to-electron-beam overlay accuracy. No other commercially available maskless optical system is known to provide these capabilities. This capability is essential for ICS’s academic and commercial programmes. For example, in photonic integrated circuit fabrication, nanoscale waveguides must be aligned to larger optical structures with tolerances under 50 nm. Currently, such structures must be written entirely using electron-beam lithography, which is time-intensive and financially prohibitive for large-wafer platforms. A high-precision maskless laser lithography system would enable rapid exposure of larger structures without compromising alignment accuracy, significantly reducing process time and costs—an important benefit for ICS’s commercial partners. Further strategic application areas include quantum photonics and RF power electronics, where precise overlay between high-resolution and low-resolution structures is equally critical. The required system must also include dedicated micro-optics generation software capable of real-time algorithmic creation of complex greyscale structures (e.g., microlenses, diffraction gratings, Fresnel zone plates) during exposure, thereby eliminating the need for extremely large pattern files and reducing data-processing overheads.
⚠️

MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • Not specified in the provided information.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Not specified in the provided information.
🔧

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • The system must be a maskless laser lithography system.
  • The system must support the essential expansion of hybrid electro-optical lithography capability.
  • The system must enable processing where wafers are exposed using both electron-beam lithography and optical radiation within the same resist layer(s), or across multiple aligned resist layers.
  • The system must be capable of producing large-area exposures (several millimetres) with feature sizes down to approximately 300 nm.
  • The system must maintain extremely high positioning and overlay accuracy with respect to electron-beam-defined structures.
  • The system must incorporate a high-resolution optically encoded stage with positioning fidelity on the order of 1 nm.
  • The system must have the capability for stitch-free patterning across full wafers up to 200 mm in diameter.
  • The system must demonstrate overlay accuracy of approximately 15 nm (optical-to-electron-beam alignment).
  • The system must have software and workflow compatibility to support integrated hybrid lithography between electron-beam and optical exposures.
  • The system must include dedicated micro-optics generation software capable of real-time algorithmic creation of complex greyscale structures (e.g., microlenses, diffraction gratings, Fresnel zone plates) during exposure.
  • The system must eliminate the need for extremely large pattern files and reduce data-processing overheads.
  • The system is expected to meet unique precision and overlay accuracy needs, which the contracting authority believes only Raith can provide.
💰

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • The estimated contract value is 498,000 EUR.
📋

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • The bid must be submitted by the deadline of 2026-02-11T00:00:00.

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HTM
Planning Notice
General Information007806-2026.html
Summary:
Cardiff University's ICS plans to procure a high-precision maskless laser lithography system, requiring specific capabilities like 1nm stage fidelity, stitch-free 200mm wafer patterning, and 15nm optical-to-electron-beam overlay accuracy, with the contracting authority believing only one supplier, Raith, can meet these needs.
DOC
OCDS Record
OCDS Data007806-2026_ocds_record.json
Summary:
Cardiff University intends to procure a highly precise maskless laser lithography system for hybrid electro-optical lithography, believing only Raith can meet the unique technical requirements for stage precision, stitch-free patterning, and sub-20nm overlay accuracy.
DOC
OCDS Release Package
OCDS Data007806-2026_ocds_release.json
Summary:
Cardiff University's Institute for Compound Semiconductors requires a high-precision maskless laser lithography system capable of hybrid electro-optical patterning with sub-20nm overlay accuracy, stitch-free wafer-scale processing, and real-time micro-optics generation software.
PDF
Official PDF Version
Technical Specifications007806-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
Cardiff University's ICS intends to procure a highly specialized maskless laser lithography system with specific technical requirements for hybrid electro-optical lithography, believing only one supplier (Raith) can meet its unique precision and overlay accuracy needs.

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43
Fair

Tender Quality Score

This tender for a highly specialized maskless laser lithography system exhibits significant concerns regarding fairness due to explicit tailoring towards a single supplier and a lack of fundamental procurement details such as procedure type and evaluation criteria. While technical requirements are clear, the overall quality is severely undermined by these deficiencies.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance35/100

The tender lacks a defined procedure type and mandatory disclosure requirements such as eligibility and exclusion grounds. The explicit statement about a single supplier (Raith) raises significant concerns about compliance with principles of transparency and equal treatment, potentially indicating a direct award justification rather than a competitive tender.

Undefined procedure type
Missing mandatory exclusion and eligibility grounds
Clarity65/100

The technical description of the required system is highly detailed and unambiguous, clearly outlining the performance conditions. However, the complete absence of specified evaluation criteria significantly reduces clarity for potential bidders on how their proposals will be assessed.

No evaluation criteria specified
Completeness45/100

While basic information like title, organization, value, and duration are present, critical components of a complete tender are missing. These include the procurement procedure type, comprehensive eligibility and exclusion criteria, and crucially, the evaluation criteria for bids.

Missing procedure type
Missing eligibility and exclusion requirements
Fairness15/100

This category scores very low due to the explicit statement in the description that the contracting authority believes only one supplier (Raith) can meet the combined requirements. This directly undermines the principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination. Furthermore, the absence of objective evaluation criteria and the lack of e-submission capabilities limit fair access and competition.

Requirements explicitly tailored to a single supplier (Raith)
No objective and transparent evaluation criteria
Practicality55/100

The tender provides clear contract start and duration dates, and the value is disclosed. However, the absence of electronic submission support is a significant practical drawback in modern procurement, potentially increasing administrative burden for bidders.

No electronic submission supported
Data Consistency65/100

Key fields such as 'Type' and 'Procedure' are unpopulated, and critical criteria are missing, which indicates gaps in the data provided. However, the dates provided (submission deadline, contract start) are logical and consistent with each other.

Key fields (Type, Procedure) are unpopulated
Missing critical criteria (eligibility, exclusion, evaluation)
Sustainability15/100

The tender does not include any explicit green procurement, social aspects, or innovation-focused criteria. While the system itself is high-tech, the procurement process does not actively seek or reward sustainable or innovative solutions from bidders.

No green procurement criteria
No social aspects considered

Strengths

Detailed and clear technical description of the required system
Basic information like title, reference, organization, value, and duration are provided
Contract start date and duration are clearly specified
Value is disclosed and not classified

Concerns

Explicit statement that only one supplier (Raith) can meet the requirements, indicating tailoring
Absence of defined procedure type, eligibility, exclusion, and evaluation criteria
Lack of support for electronic submission
No consideration for sustainability (green, social, innovation)

Recommendations

1. Re-evaluate the market to ensure genuine competition or formally justify a direct award procedure if truly only one supplier exists.
2. Clearly define the procurement procedure type, eligibility, exclusion, and objective evaluation criteria.
3. Implement electronic submission capabilities for improved accessibility and efficiency.

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C
Tender Quality Score
43/ 100 · Fair

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