BOULDER, Colo., June 11 -- Precision Photonics Corp., a manufacturer of ultraprecise optics and laser-based instruments, announced it has received a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop high-speed optical frequency metrology for spectroscopy, interferometry and optical communications. The company said the two-year award from the NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) will be used to pioneer the commercial application of frequency measurements in the optical spectrum. "Resulting products will be analogous to radio frequency counters and synthesizers, which launched critical radio applications such as radar and cellular telephones," Precision said in a statement. "Similarly, an optical frequency counter for rapid measurement of optical frequencies will enable new measurement applications requiring extreme accuracy and precision, including more precise robotic stage control in semiconductor manufacturing, rapid detection and identification of trace chemicals in hospital patients' breath and coherent optical communications." NIST selected PPC to develop a compact femtosecond laser as an extremely precise "ruler" for measuring optical frequencies fast, achieving part-per-billion precision in just microseconds, Precision said. "The project will enable the fastest, most accurate measurements wherever laser wavelength is used toda," according to the company. "Precision Photonics' ground breaking measurement and control technology for tunable lasers will facilitate the rapid development of frequency counting metrology, and resulting products will extend PPC’s existing line of precision measurement instruments," it said. For more information, visit: www.precisionphotonics.com