Dube's MetaStable wins $750,000 defense contract

Futuristic, "Star Wars"-type research on lasers for military weapon systems is taking place at a tiny company in St. Charles County.

MetaStable Instruments Inc. of St. Peters has landed a two-year, $750,000 contract from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to develop an instrument that could benefit high-power laser weapons that destroy ballistic missiles. The technology measures light absorption by thin film optical coatings that are applied on windows of the high-power lasers, according to George Dube, MetaStable's president.

"The film's absorption is an important issue," Dube, said. "With a high-power laser, even a tiny amount (of absorption) is still enough to heat up the window, which will distort the laser or break the window. People are looking for a nondestructive way to measure the tiny absorption of thin films."

MetaStable's research will assist coating manufacturers in lowering the absorption of laser...