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nanoscan commercializes nanotechnology by developing new products, solutions and application segments as well as by optimizing current methods. its purpose is to provide the global market with high-resolution scanning probe microscopes fulfilling present and future analytical needs on nanometer-sized surface structures.the formation of nanoscanbegan in 2003, when the initiators at the institute of physics at the university of basel developed a prototype of their high-resolution magnetic force microscope capable of enhancing the resolution by a factor of 10 compared to other available microscopes. the prototype instrument was sold to seagate technology, a well-known manufacturer of hard disc drives, in 2003 and operates to their full satisfaction.as the winner of the swiss technology award 2003, nanoscan (formerly swissprobe) has proved its ability to venture into new dimensions of nanotechnology.in 2009, nanoscan was acquired by the world-leader manufacturer of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometers ion-tof. since then, both companies strive to design high-end instruments for surface analysis that combine physical with chemical information at the nanoscale.
