I worked at Spectra-Physics when the contamination occurred. It was below a plating line that did alodine prior to painting aluminum laser and instrument housi

I worked at Spectra-Physics when the contamination occurred. It was below a plating line that did alodine prior to painting aluminum laser and instrument housings. The building pictured is Bldg 5, where I had my first serious job. This was a clean building where ion laser tubes were manufactured and scientific lasers, including the first high power single frequency, and ultrafast (picosecond) lasers were final tested. Spectra-Physics was bought and sold many times, and is now a division of a company that perfected a relatively simple vacuum gauge that relied on the movement of a stai steel diaphragm. Spectra was the first laser IPO, but it never really flourished; it was kind of ruined by Stanford MBAs. It’s competitor, Coherent, became a powerhouse, largely because it retained its technical leadership. My building 5 is now a Korean church. Now that’s a profitable business!