2021-00812-ACAN - X-Ray Diffraction System

BACKGROUND:
Notice is hereby given by the University of Ottawa of the intent to enter into a contract with Bruker AXS LLC to procure:
 

• Bruker D8 Endeavor 1 kW XRD system

• The diffractometer must be offered as a fully functional system, complete and installed, with optional training for users on-site or at the factory.
• The system must completely house electronics, generator, and goniometer in one unit.
• The system must be able to accommodate an internal cooling unit.
• The system must be operable via network / internet.
• The system must support network / internet based remote maintenance.
• The system must not require any compressed air or external cooling water.
• The system must support focusing (Bragg-Brentano) geometry.
• The system must have a fully automatic, motorized, software-controlled beam path control (which must include a motorized divergence slit on the primary side, a motorized anti-scatter screen at the sample position, and dynamic detector opening on the secondary side).
• The instrument must be suitable for phase identification, quantitative phase analysis, and microstructure analysis (crystallite size, microstrain, and similar) for samples of varying quality, crystallinity, and type (including, but not limited to clay, mineralogical, geological, synthetic, engineered, and small nanoparticle samples, as well as other samples of low crystallinity).

• The system must be compliant to the world's most stringent requirements related machinery safety (e.g. protection against moving parts), X-ray safety, electrical safety, and electromagnetic compatibility.
• The system must have full Canadian RED Act and CSA Approval.

• The supplier must have a documented, audited quality system in place, which, at a minimum, is compliant to the requirements of the "current Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (cGAMP).
• The supplier must be able to offer cGAMP compliant Installation Qualification and Operational Qualification documentation (IQOQ)
• The supplier must provide an instrument alignment guarantee for selected configurations.
• At installation, the instrument must pass a documented acceptance test based on an established instrument verification procedure, demonstrating proper instrument alignment at a level which is currently state-of-the-art in X-ray powder diffraction.
  • Instrument alignment must be equal or better than ± 0.01° 2Theta over the whole angular range, based on the dedicated, internationally recognized instrument response standard reference material NIST SRM 1976b (or its successor).
  • Instrument alignment must deliver relative intensities accurate within ± 10% over the whole angular range, based on NIST SRM 1976b (or its successor).
  • NIST SRM 1976b (or its successor) must be included
• 1- and 2-dimensional detectors must not have any defective pixels, channels, strips, areas or similar.
  • At installation, proof must be provided that any detectors are free of defects
  • Defective pixels, channels, strips, areas or similar must not be masked using any data interpolation or detector calibration routines.
  • Fixed scan mode operation must be possible without missing data points

• The sealed tube X-ray generator must have 1 KW capability or better.
• The system must not require additional cooling water (air cooled).
• The system must not require 3-phase power and must not exceed 16 A power.
• The total power consumption of the instrument must not exceed 3 kVA.
• X-ray generator current must range from 5 to 60 mA, stability better than ± 0.005% at ±10% mains fluctuations, and X-ray generator voltage must range from 20 to 60 kV, stability better than ±0.005% at ±10% mains fluctuations.
• Stand-by mode must not exceed 100W (20kV, 5mA) to maximize tube life time.
• The kV and mA settings must be continuously adjustable via software.
• The measurement software must support automatic startup for X-ray tubes for maximum lifetime and an automatic burn-in routine for new X-ray tubes.
• The stand must be able to accept both ceramic and glass tubes and be industry compatible (that is 3rd party tubes can be used).
• X-ray tubes must have line focus.
• X-ray tubes must be available with long fine focus, fine focus.

• The goniometer must have a maintenance free drive mechanism / gearing.
• The goniometer must be a vertical theta-theta to enable measurements of liquids and loose powders.
• The goniometer must have an angular range of 360° (without accessories).
• The goniometer must be able to achieve an angular speed of at least 25°/s.
• The minimum step size must be 0.0001° or better.
• The reproducibility must be +- 0.0001° or better.

• The system must have the following optical components:
  • Motorized and computer-controlled divergence slits on the primary side.
  • Motorized Anti Scatter Screen over the sample to effectively suppress instrument background, in particular air scatter at low angles. The retraction of the knife edge must be continuous and fully software controlled to prevent any cropping of the beam.
• The system must be able to accommodate the following sample stage and sample changer components:
  • Motorized sample stage, fully software controlled, with variable sample rotation speed. The sample stage must have a stepper motor for high precision sample positioning, enabling sample rotation (PHI) scans.
  • Motorized sample changer, fully software controlled, for at least 43 samples of 51.5 mm diameter.
  • Sample changer must safely be accessible while measurements are running.
  • Must not use compressed air.
  • Must allow loading magnetic samples (mechanical gripper).
• Automation interface must be available that can be used in combination with the above sample magazines.
• The system must come equipped with a Silicon strip technology based XRD detector with the following characteristics:
  • 192 or more fully functional strips.
  • A detector window up to ~4° 2Theta.
  • The detector must have an energy resolution equal or better than 1000 eV (Cu radiation).
  • The detector must be at least 150 times faster than a point detector system.
  • The detector must be maintenance-free, with no external cooling or purging gas required.
  • The detector must automatically switch detection strips on/off as a function of 2Theta to enable best quality data collection at low angles.
  • The detector must be able to be operated in scanning mode or fixed mode.
• The supplier must provide a guarantee that detectors are free of defects at the time of delivery. No dead strips, no dead areas.

• The measurement software must have a graphical instrument representation of the actual instrument configuration, that is used for measurement planning (definition of instrument parameters such as slit settings, selection of optical components).
• The software must support variable measurement parameters including:
  • Variable counting time support.
  • Variable step-size support.
  • Simultaneous variable counting time and variable step-size support.
• The software must allow file based and database-based operation.
• The software must allow user levels and user-rights management and support a multi user/walk-up model.
• The software must allow live view of the measurement, scan parameters.
• The software must allow live display of a camera view of the sample changer.
• The software must allow direct interactive measurement and job measurements including status display of jobs, reordering jobs, setting priority samples.
• The software must allow to automatically run scheduled jobs for e.g., drift correction, instrument check.
• The software must allow to trigger data evaluation after scan is finished, such as:
  • Quantitative phase analysis based on e.g., single peak methods, calibrations, ratio calculations.
  • Quantitative phase analysis based on full pattern methods, e.g., Rietveld analysis.
• The software must provide database functionality including:
  • Search for scan name, sample name, database ID, date, time, user, scan method, evaluation method.
  • Graphical display of scan.
  • Numeric display of quantitative evaluation results.
  • Graphical display of quantitative evaluation results.
  • Statistical process control features such as time series, average, floating average, standard deviation, min./max. limits, limit checks, graphical indicators for out-of-limit samples.

• The vendor must have an employee-based service engineer structure in North America, with Canadian based direct service engineers.
• The vendor must provide free of charge phone/webex based service support during normal business hours.
• The vendor must be able to provide scientific support and training via a setup of applications engineers on a remote/webex basis.

• The Bruker D8 Endeavor 1 kW XRD system:
  • Is equipped with a largely automated sample handling system capable of holding at least 43 samples.
  • Has a sample chamber which is isolated from the X-Ray/goniometer area, allowing samples to be added or removed from the sample chamber safely while the instrument is measuring another sample.
  • Is equipped with motorized divergence slits, a motorized anti-scatter screen over the sample, and allows for a variable detector opening, all of which are software controlled, fully automatic, and continuously variable throughout the angular measurement range (collectively labelled Dynamic Beam Optimization).
  • Is equipped with a high-speed detector which is at least 150 times faster than a point detector system (using 192 fully functional strips), has energy resolution < 380 eV, comes with a guarantee that all channels are functioning upon installation of the system, and can automatically switch detection strips on and off as a function of 2Theta.
  • Can supply 1 kW of power to the X-Ray tube using a fully contained cooling system (i.e., no external cooling is required).