MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 21 -- Spectra-Physics has announced the introduction of the iTRAIN-244 doubling option for their single frequency (model 2060) ion laser, to coincide with Laser 2001 (Munich, Germany). The iTRAIN-244 is a deep UV source at 244 nm, based on Spectra-Physics' patented DeltaConcept external cavity frequency doubler and the 2060 ion laser. It delivers more than 200 milliwatts of stable output at 244 nm and is intended for applications such as fiber bragg grating, writing and semiconductor inspection. This is the first industrial ion laser to utilize external cavity doubling. This approach offers several critical advantages for industrial applications, compared to the intracavity technique used in traditional UV ion lasers. In particular, the iTRAIN-244 delivers much better beam pointing stability: up to a factor of 10 better than corresponding intracavity products. Also, because the doubling crystal is housed in a sealed module, scheduled field maintenance can be performed easily and quickly.