Beskrivning av upphandlingen
Linköping University (LiU) is the host for the Interdisciplinary International Laboratory for Advanced Functional Materials (AFM). AFM constitute the leading materials research environment in Sweden as identified from exclusive governmental support in this field. AFM engages researchers in all materials science disciplines including organic electronics, hard coatings, semiconductors, construction materials and low dimensional materials. Our work in highly competitive Centers of Excellence has been evaluated as excellent to outstanding by the Swedish funding organizations VR, SSF, and VINNOVA. Applications for AFM research range from energy and environment to communication and medicine.
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is a backbone technique for our materials research environment. Our current LEO 1550 SEM was installed in 1998 and has been utilized by countless PhD students and researchers over the years. Currently, the instrument has more than 150 registered users, with ~100 of them using the SEM on an annual basis and approximately ~40 individual users every month. The current SEM accumulated more than 2500 hours of use last year, excluding service and teaching. Accordingly, the instrument constitute one of the most heavily booked instruments at LiU.
The SEM is maintained by the Electron Microscopy unit at LiU including one professor and three full time research engineers, which enables high quality research, a high uptime of the instrument, and throughput even for non-experienced users. However, the present SEM is beyond it’s expected lifetime and necessitates replacement with a platform that can meet the environments high standards in terms of user access, high throughput, and provide a wide range of imaging and spectroscopic methods that enables science of the highest quality. The new SEM platform must also be at the frontline of existing technology to uphold the high standards and advance position in materials science research at AFM.
The new platform will be installed in the same environment as the present SEM, which constitute a cleanroom environment. Some of the detectors and accessories of the existing platform have been updated to state of the art and must be transferred to, and integrated with, the new platform.
To meet the high and growing need for access, the new SEM platform under the scope of this procurement contract must include two different SEMs with complementary detectors and accessories that enable and increase the depth and width of our research.
The procurement contract also include five (5) years of full service contract, option for another five (5) years of full service and options for acquiring additional technology.
A more detailed description of the SEM platform, the requirements for each SEM respectively and the options for acquiring additional technology are presented in the procurement document.