Spectra-Physics Wins $2.4 Million Contract for Optical Coatings

Spectra-Physics has received a $2.4 million contract to develop optical coatings for the National Ignition Facility. The facility's laser system will require 8000 large optical components and 30,000 smaller ones. Spectra-Physics will manufacture the coating at its Mountain View, Calif., location.
Now under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., the National Ignition Facility laser system will consist of 192 high-power laser beams capable of producing 500 trillion watts of power for a fraction of a second. Scientists hope this energy will ignite small fusion targets, allowing researchers to study reactions at extremely high temperatures and pressures.