Nanosurf

Nanosurf, headquartered in Liestal, Switzerland, is the leading equipment supplier for nano microscopes in education,^[1] mainly applying in the fields of industrial and academic research.^[2] Nanosurf’s atomic force microscopes (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopes (STM) are used in metrological surface inspection and the visualization of structures on the nanometer scale, with voice coil actuators instead of piezo-electric.^[3][4]

Nanosurf worked with NASA’s Phoenix Mars mission to provide the atomic force microscopy module for the Mars probe.^[5]

In 1997, Nanosurf was awarded the “Start-up-Label” by the Swiss government agency for innovation (KTI).^[6] Nanosurf was founded in June 4th, 1997,^[7] in order to design Scanning probe microscopes.^[8] The Nanosurf founders were inspired by Hans-Joachim Guentherodt,^[9] the Director of the Swiss NCCR Nanoscale Science, head of the Institute of Physics of the University of Basel, coordinator of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute, and chairman of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) “Nanoscale Science”.

In 1998, The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory selected the Nanosurf atomic force microscope for its mission to Mars. The same year, Nanosurf joined a cooperation with the Institute of Microtechnology, University of Neuchatel, and the Institute of Physics, University of Basel. Nanosurf was awarded the innovation prize by the Swiss Cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel- Landschaft in 1998.

In 2000, Nanosurf was awarded the Swiss Technology Award by the Swiss federal industry agency. The easyScan atomic force microscope is introduced to the market. Nanosurf received the 2003 KMU Entrepreneurial award by the Chamber of Commerce of the Cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt. In 2007,Nanosurf received the Swiss Technology Award (Vontobel Stiftung) for the automated Nanite AFM system.^[10] On August 4, Phoenix Mars Probe was launched carrying a Nanosurf AFM scanner.

Since its founding in 1997, Nanosurf AG established subsidiaries in Boston (America) and Langen^{[disambiguation needed]} (Germany).^[11]

Nanosurf, the University of Neuchâtel, and the University of Basel were part of a Swiss consortium ^[12] challenged to equip the Phoenix Mars Probe ^[13] with the first atomic force microscope in space.^[14][15] This atomic force microscope was designed to be part of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and a Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) unit built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.^[16] It was a key component of the Phoenix probe’s ensemble of on-board scientific instruments.^[17]

Nanosurf contributed to the Phoenix Mars Mission^[18] with an AFM that recorded high-resolution images of Martian dust. These images allowed researchers to study the history of water on Mars, and represent the highest resolution images ever recorded on another planet.^[17]

Nanosurf joined in developing, building and testing an atomic force microscope(AFM) for planetary science applications, in particular for the study of Martian soil.^[19] The system consists of a controller board, an electromagnetic scanner and micro-fabricated sensor-chip. Eight cantilevers with integrated, piezoresistive deflection sensors are aligned in a row and are engaged one after the other to provide redundancy in case of tip or cantilever failure. Silicon and molded diamond tips are used for probing the sample. Images can be recorded in both, static and dynamic operation mode. In the latter case, excitation of the resonance frequencies of the cantilevers is achieved by vibrating the whole chip with a piezoelectric disk.

This instrument represents the highest spatial resolution instrument ever produced for in situ planetary studies. The required level of operational robustness was achieved by using a redundant array of micro-machined cantilevers.^[19]

The first image recorded by an atomic force microscope on another planet.^[20] On July 9, 2008, Mars day 44 of the Phoenix Mars Mission,^[21] the atomic force microscope on the Mars Lander recorded an image of a test grid, which serves as a calibration for the microscope. This image was successfully transmitted to Earth by the Phoenix Mars probe, and demonstrates full functionality of the nano-imaging device under the harsh Martian conditions, satisfying the NASA Phoenix team as well as the Swiss scientific team responsible for the development of the microscope.^[19]

The area imaged by the microscope is 40 microns by 40 microns, small enough to fit on an eyelash. The grooves in this substrate are 14 microns(0.00055 inch) apart, from center to center. The vertical dimension is exaggerated in the image to make surface details more visible. The grooves are 300 nanometers (0.00001 inch) deep.

Nanosurf has received many awards by Swiss institutions for their achievements, including the Swiss government’s body for entrepreneurs and several private and state bodies. Nanosurf received the CTI Label in 1996.

2000: Nanosurf is awarded the Swiss Technology Award by the Swiss federal industry agency.

2003: Nanosurf received the 2003 KMU Entrepreneurial award by the Chamber of Commerce of the Cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt.

March 2007: Nanosurf was awarded the Swiss Technology Award and the exceptional price of the Vontobel Foundation in the category "inventing the future" for the development of the first AFM System using the new Akiyama Probe.

November 2007: Nanosurf AG receives an honorable 4th prize at the Entrepreneurial Award ceremony for Northern-Switzerland (Unternehmerpreis Nordschweiz 2007), a prestigious event organized by the Swiss Venture Club. The award, which was attended by more than 1500 invited guests, was covered live and in full length by the local television broadcasting company TeleBasel.