Alpine Research Optics Wins Contract from NIF

Under a contract valued at more than $1 million, Alpine Research Optics of Boulder, Colo., will supply laser optics to the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory of Livermore, Calif. The order will run through 2007 and include lenses, mirrors and partial reflectors for the project's injection laser system. Some of the components will use coatings with a high laser damage threshold and Alpine's wavefront control coatings. The demands of the facility's system will drive the company to explore the limits of thin-film performance, said its president, David Collier.