Nanosensors
NANOSENSORS™ is a Swiss manufacturer of probes for atomic force microscopy and scanning probe microscopy.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
NANOSENSORS™ is a Swiss scientific-instrument component brand specializing in probes for atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Its products are used by researchers and industrial laboratories that need to measure, image, characterize, or manipulate surfaces at very small scales. The company is associated with silicon microfabrication technologies that helped make AFM probes available in repeatable, commercially manufactured formats rather than only as individually produced research components. The business originated in 1990 under the name Nanoprobe. Its early work built on research at IBM Sindelfingen concerning the batch processing of silicon AFM probes through bulk micromachining. This manufacturing approach was important because AFM performance depends heavily on the consistency of probe geometry, cantilever behavior, tip sharpness, and other mechanical and physical characteristics. Batch processing enabled more scalable production and improved the reproducibility needed for broader use of atomic force microscopes in research and industry. In 1993, the company began commercializing SPM and AFM probes internationally. Its products supported the expansion of AFM from a specialized laboratory technique into a more broadly adopted analytical method. The brand subsequently developed probe families for different operating modes and experimental requirements, including conventional imaging, magnetic force microscopy, high-aspect-ratio measurements, optical alignment, and applications requiring specialized tip or cantilever characteristics. The company received recognition in Germany for its technology and commercial innovation, including the Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle Innovation Award of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the Innovation Prize of German Industry in 1995. It later received the Innovation Award of the Förderkreis für die Mikroelektronik e.V. in 1999. These awards reflected the perceived significance of its microfabrication and probe-production work rather than consumer-facing brand activity. In 2002, Nanosensors was acquired by and integrated into NanoWorld, a Switzerland-based company active in the scanning-probe-microscopy field. Nanosensors continued as an independent business unit within that structure. The company is also described as Nanosensors Inc., with its present operations located in Neuchâtel, Switzerland; reference material separately identifies November 21, 2018 as the founding date of the private company. Accordingly, the brand's history has both an operational origin in 1990 and a later corporate formation or restructuring date. Today, NANOSENSORS™ serves AFM and SPM users worldwide. Its offering is centered on application-specific probes rather than complete microscopes, positioning the brand as a specialist supplier within the research-tools and nanotechnology ecosystem. Its products are relevant to materials science, semiconductor and microelectronics research, surface science, biology, nanotechnology, and other fields where nanoscale surface measurements are required.
History
NANOSENSORS™ traces its origins to research and engineering work on silicon AFM probes conducted at IBM Sindelfingen. The venture was established as Nanoprobe in 1990, with an emphasis on bulk-micromachining methods capable of producing probes in batches. This was a significant manufacturing direction for AFM because probe quality and consistency directly affect image quality, measurement reliability, and the repeatability of experiments. The company moved from development into commercial activity in 1993, when it began offering SPM and AFM probes internationally. Commercial availability of standardized probes helped support the wider adoption of atomic force microscopy by research organizations and industrial users. Rather than limiting itself to one microscope configuration, the business developed probe designs suited to different operating modes and measurement objectives. The technological work received recognition in Germany during the 1990s. In 1995, the company was associated with both the Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle Innovation Award of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the Innovation Prize of German Industry. In 1999, it received the Innovation Award of the Förderkreis für die Mikroelektronik e.V. These distinctions marked the importance attributed to its probe-manufacturing and microelectronics-related innovations. A major ownership and organizational change occurred in 2002, when Nanosensors was acquired by NanoWorld and integrated into the Swiss group's activities. The brand remained an independent business unit, retaining its focus on probes for scanning probe and atomic force microscopy. This arrangement placed Nanosensors within a broader specialist ecosystem serving the SPM market while preserving its distinct product identity. The brand's product development included the PointProbe family and later PointProbePlus, which improved the consistency of tip shape and image reproducibility over the original technology. Other product lines addressed magnetic force microscopy, high-aspect-ratio imaging, optical tip alignment, and specialized probe architectures. These products reflect the needs of AFM users who select probes according to sample properties, imaging mode, resolution requirements, and instrument configuration. Reference material identifies Nanosensors Inc. as a private, for-profit company founded on November 21, 2018 and located in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. That date should be understood alongside the much older operational history beginning with Nanoprobe in 1990, suggesting a later corporate formation, reorganization, or legal-entity milestone rather than the beginning of the brand's technology and commercial activities. NANOSENSORS™ currently operates as a specialist supplier to global AFM and SPM users. Its role is concentrated in the design and manufacture of replaceable microscopy probes, an essential consumable and performance component for nanoscale measurement systems. The brand's historical importance lies in helping industrialize and standardize AFM probe production, while its present position is based on a broad portfolio of probes for scientific and technical applications.
- 2018
Nanosensors Inc. corporate date
[1]Reference material identifies November 21, 2018 as the founding date of the private Nanosensors Inc. corporate entity.
- 2004
PointProbePlus development
[1]The PointProbe technology was upgraded to PointProbePlus, improving tip-shape consistency and the reproducibility of AFM images.
- 2002
Acquisition by NanoWorld
[1]NanoWorld acquired and integrated Nanosensors, which continued as an independent business unit within the Swiss group.
- 1999
Microelectronics innovation award
[1]Nanosensors received the Innovation Award of the Förderkreis für die Mikroelektronik e.V.
- 1995
German innovation recognition
[1]The company received the Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle Innovation Award of Baden-Württemberg and the Innovation Prize of German Industry.
- 1993
International commercialization of AFM and SPM probes
[1]Nanosensors began commercializing probes for scanning probe and atomic force microscopy worldwide.
- 1990
Origin as Nanoprobe
[1]The business began as Nanoprobe, building on IBM Sindelfingen research into batch fabrication of silicon AFM probes using bulk micromachining.
Products and positioning
A specialist, technology-led supplier of application-specific AFM and SPM probes for research and industrial microscopy users. The brand emphasizes reproducible silicon probe manufacturing, specialized geometries, and compatibility with diverse scanning-probe-microscopy methods.
AFM probes · 2004
PointProbePlus
PointProbePlus is the successor to the original PointProbe technology commercialized by Nanosensors. The probes use highly doped monocrystalline silicon and are designed to provide more consistent tip geometry and improved image reproducibility. They are intended for general-purpose AFM work and serve as a core platform within the brand's probe portfolio.
Alignment AFM probes
PointProbePlus XY-Alignment Series and Alignment Chip
This PointProbePlus variant is designed for AFM systems and workflows in which accurate probe positioning and alignment are important. The associated alignment-chip format supports handling and positioning requirements around the probe, helping users align the cantilever or tip with the instrument's optical and mechanical systems.
Magnetic force microscopy probes
PointProbePlus Silicon MFM Probe Series
The Silicon MFM series adapts the PointProbePlus platform for magnetic force microscopy. These probes are intended for imaging magnetic domains and related magnetic properties at the nanoscale, where the probe's magnetic response and mechanical behavior must be suited to the operating mode.
Sharp-tip AFM probes
SuperSharpSilicon
SuperSharpSilicon probes are designed around sharply formed silicon tips for applications that benefit from high lateral resolution and detailed interaction with nanoscale surface features. They are part of the brand's specialized offering for users whose samples or measurement objectives require more refined probe geometry.
High-aspect-ratio AFM probes
High Aspect Ratio AFM Probes
High-aspect-ratio probes are intended for imaging structures with steep sidewalls, deep trenches, narrow features, or other geometries that are difficult to access with conventional AFM tips. Their specialized geometry helps the probe reach into confined surface structures while maintaining suitability for scanning-probe measurements.
Optically visible AFM probes
AdvancedTEC
AdvancedTEC probes position the tip so that it protrudes from the end of the cantilever and can be viewed through the optical system of an AFM. This visibility is intended to help operators place the tip accurately over a point of interest, particularly in experiments where sample location and probe positioning are operationally important.
Specialized AFM probes
Akiyama-Probe
The Akiyama-Probe is a specialized probe offering within the NANOSENSORS portfolio. It is intended for particular AFM measurement configurations and reflects the brand's broader strategy of supplying probes adapted to distinct experimental methods rather than only general-purpose imaging.
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