St. Peters, MO--Optical components and coatings maker MetaStable Instruments has received US Patent #8,139,234, covering a technique for measuring <1 ppm absorption in certain thin-film optical coatings as they are being deposited in a vacuum chamber. Th company's technique can help coaters more quickly minimize the absorption in critical coatings used in high-power laser and ultra-sensitive optical applications. It was developed under a Missile Defense Agency Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. It was first demonstrated at Deposition Research Laboratories (St. Charles, MO) with assistance from Dr. Arthur Braundmeier, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. ----- Follow us on Twitter and 'like' us on Facebook