The Superflat PCP enters Phase 3.

Soleil Synchrotron,  acting as lead procurer for the Superflat Group of Purchasers (GOP), recently signed contracts with Bertin-Winlight and Thales-SESO for Phase 3 of the Superflat PCP. The two companies successfully completed the Technical Design (Phase 2) and their offers for Process development and prototyping  (Phase 3) were considered by the GOP to offer promising routes to addressing the Superflat PCP challenges.

The companies were selected following the request for tender process announced in the Contract Notice S-34343-2022. Details of the contract award are available in the Contract Award Notice 2023/S 105-329080

 More information on the status of the Superflat PCP and the selected contractors can be found on the dedicated page

A novel approach to procurement of R&D

This is the first time that a PCP approach has been used to sub-contract R&D to industrial partners to improve one of the key types of instrumentation required by LEAPS facilities. We hope that this is an important step in the development of a new generation of X-ray optics  which will ultimately benefit the users of all our light sources.