!%MetaStable Instruments Inc.%! of St. Peters, Mo., has received US Patent No. 8,139,234 for a technique that measures very low absorption in certain thin-film optical coatings that are deposited in a vacuum chamber. The technique, which helps coaters more quickly minimize the absorption in high-power laser and ultrasensitive optical applications, was developed under a Missile Defense Agency Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the US Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It was first demonstrated at Deposition Research Laboratories Inc. of St. Charles, Mo. MetaStable Instruments manufactures patented beam steerers.