OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

The upgraded ALS (ALS-U) is designed to be unsurpassed by any currently envisioned technology and will enable world-leading soft x-ray science for years to come. In June 2016, DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) released the recommendations of the BES Facility Upgrade Prioritization Subcommittee, whose report deemed the ALS-U project “absolutely central” to contribute to world-leading science and “ready to initiate construction”—the highest possible ratings in the prioritization process. In September 2016 DOE initiated the ALS-U project by approving its “mission need” and assigning it critical decision CD-0, the first milestone in making ALS-U a reality. In September 2018 DOE approved the critical decision CD-1 which establishes the conceptual design and the cost range of the project. In December 2020, critical decision CD-3a approval authorizes to start the construction of the accumulator ring. The project team is currently working towards completing of the preliminary design phase by the end of 2020.

The ALS-U project includes a package of new and upgraded insertion device beamlines that are intended to leverage the enormous gains in coherent brightness provided by the new source. The package consists of two new beamlines, and upgrades to two existing beamlines:

• Flexon, a soft X-ray beamline covering an energy range of 400-1800eV with two major branches
• Tender, a tender X-ray beamline covering an energy range of 1-8keV with two major branches
• Cosmic, an upgraded soft X-ray beamline with one branch
• Maestro, an upgraded soft X-ray beamline with two branches

To this end, the ALS-U project includes the procurement of 5 new monochromators: two VIA-VLS monochromators for Flexon, one VIA-VLS monochromator and one DCM111 monochromator for Tender, one VIA-VLS monochromator for Cosmic. Maestro will reused its existing monochromator.

We are seeking information on:

• The willingness and capabilities of vendors to design, manufacture, test and deliver up to four VIA-VLS (Variable Included Angle – Variable Line Spacing) monochromators to meet ALS-U requirements;
• Pricing information for budgetary purposes;
• Time schedule for planning purposes;
• CAD models for the purposes of integration analysis and to facilitate discussion with vendors