Upgrade and integration of glove box setup into a new lab space

Contracting authority is publishing direct award notice for 'Upgrade and integration of glove box setup into a new lab space'.

BACKGROUND INFO The research of the Hybrid Solar Cells group focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of functional photovoltaic building blocks and their integration in hybrid third generation solar cells, with a special focus on perovskite solar cells. Due to the instability of the perovskite materials in ambient air, an inert atmosphere with low oxygen and water content is crucial for the preparation of solar cell samples. The samples are fabricated on transparent conductive electrodes on a transparent substrate through solution spin coating of several layers, followed by vacuum evaporation of intermediate layers and metal top contacts. NEED Currently, the perovskite solar cell samples are prepared in one of two separate glove boxes, with the final steps of thermal evaporation done in a separate thermal evaporator. Because the evaporator is separate, the samples need to be taken out into ambient air when transferring them to the evaporator. This causes significant problems in sample reliability as well as reproducibility, as the ambient air humidity varies greatly over the seasons. In 2026, the glove boxes and the evaporator will be moved to a new laboratory space, where there is enough space to place the devices next to each other and it is possible to integrate them together so that samples can be handled under inert atmosphere from the start of the process to the end. This will bring essential improvements to research quality and reproducibility. The integration requires modification of the current box configurations such as new antechambers and alterations to the box pipings, as well as considerable changes to the evaporator: the back wall of the evaporator chamber will be replaced by a sliding door, which will become the access to the chamber from the inert side. MARKET ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION FOR DIRECT AWARD The current glove boxes and the evaporator are designed and manufactured by MBraun, using engineering tolerances, materials, and sealing specifications that are not publicly documented. The integration of new components requires flawless compatibility with MBraun-specific purification and gas-management architectures, to ensure reliable operation of the glove box system. Strict environmental control is required to facilitate repeatable, reliable and high-quality research. Furthermore, the integration of the evaporator also requires major changes in its control electronics and software, such as the safety door interlocks. The system operates with closed-source firmware and manufacturer-specific interlock logic and safety routines. Third-party vendors cannot modify the existing control software without serious risk of incompatibility and malfunction of the evaporator’s systems, including user safety. Additionally, the mechanical design of the evaporator chamber modification must be conducted with high precision and compatibility with the existing system to ensure tightness fo all seals, as a high vacuum level inside the chamber is essential to achieving deposited layers with high quality. Due to technical and compatibility reasons, only the specific supplier can be considered. Reasonable alternatives or substitute solutions do not exist, and absence of competition is not due to an artificial narrowing of purchase conditions. The contracting authority has the right to set a quality level based on its own needs which products or services must implement.