SPECS GmbH, which
provides surface analysis tools and UHV equipment, announced today that it has
acquired privately held Nanonis GmbH, based in Switzerland, a leading developer
and manufacturer of nanotechnology control equipment. At the same time SPECS
announces the immediate availability of its new UHV atomic force microscope,
the Aarhus SPM with KolibriSensor™.
Berlin-based SPECS specializes in surface analysis tools. With the exclusive
licensing of the ultra-stable
STM 150 Aarhus, SPECS gained world-wide recognition and could capture a substantial
market share in the
UHV STM market. Originally developed at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, the
STM 150 Aarhus was further
developed by SPECS to add the possibility of using the new KolibriSensor™
for non-contact AFM.
Based in Zurich, Switzerland, Nanonis is well known for its control system
for scanning probe microscopes. Over
a very short period of time the Nanonis control system has gained an excellent
name in the community for its
high flexibility and reliability. Having first sold its system to clients who
built their own microscopes, Nanonis today
mainly sells controllers to researchers with commercial microscopes who want
to upgrade their systems in order
to perform new types of experiments that were not possible with the original
system.
“This is a strategic acquisition for SPECS because it complements our
strength in the scanning probe market,”
says Reinhard Lembke, CEO of SPECS. “For our Aarhus SPM with KolibriSensor™
we wanted the best control
system – a compromise was out of question. Therefore the collaboration
with Nanonis was the natural path to go.
The combination of both will let us push forward scanning probe microscopy in
particular and surface science in
general. We are going to continue to serve the market Nanonis has catered to
and provide the same excellent
service our customers have become accustomed to. At the same time we will increase
the development effort for
the Nanonis controller to add new scanning modes and features to an already
excellent system.”
“We’re looking forward to being part of SPECS because of the deep
expertise and history of continued innovation
over the past 25 years in the company,” says Tobias Vancura, CEO of Nanonis.
“The performance of the new
Aarhus SPM with KolibriSensor™ is amazing. Of all the companies SPECS
is the best possible match for us,
both in technology and culture.”
Nanonis’ operations will stay in Zurich. Controller development and
support will continue to be based in Zurich
while the microscope is developed in Berlin.