Veeco Instruments announced that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), based in California, has ordered Veeco’s SPECTOR® Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) System.  The system will be used to deposit optical thin films and to conduct research regarding laser performance in support of the Laboratory’s national security mission.

LLNL is a premier applied science laboratory that is part of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) within the Department of Energy (DOE). The Advanced Optical Components and Technologies program creates and provides critical optical components for laser-based missions at LLNL.

“Veeco will provide assistance in our requirement for high uniformity and low defect coatings that will enable the development of a new strategy for process optimization,” said Hoang Nguyen, Group Leader, Diffractive Optics Group.

The SPECTOR platform generates the highest quality optical thin films with improved levels of productivity and throughput. Unlike evaporative coatings, ion beam sputtered thin films are deposited at high energies, giving them exceptional thickness control and low defect densities for applications including laser coating applications.

“Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a nationally-recognized leader in research and development with a track record of enabling key science and technology breakthroughs,” said Adrian Devasahayam, Ph.D., Vice President of Veeco Optical Products and Marketing. “The SPECTOR system sets the standard for precision optical coating thin films by providing unparalleled quality and flexibility to function at the highest level in both R&D and production environments.”