CEOS
CEOS GmbH manufactures aberration correctors, energy filters, and monochromators for high-end electron microscopes, supplying OEM components to Thermo Fisher, JEOL, Hitachi, and ZEISS and custom instruments to national laboratories and research universities worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersHeidelberg, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What CEOS does
CEOS (Corrected Electron Optical Systems GmbH) is a Heidelberg-based private GmbH founded in 1996 by Max Haider and Joachim Zach to commercialize aberration-correction technology for transmission electron microscopes (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEM), and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). The company is self-described as the world's leading manufacturer of correctors for electron microscopes and operates on the theoretical foundation laid by Prof. Harald Rose of TU Darmstadt. Its core technology is a family of multipole electrostatic and electromagnetic correctors that compensate for spherical (Cs), chromatic (Cc), and off-axial coma aberrations, enabling sub-50 picometer resolution imaging. CEOS also produces the CEFID post-column imaging energy filter, the Omega electrostatic monochromator, the NanoSAM ultra-high-vacuum SEM column co-developed with ZEISS, and the Panta Rhei open-source data acquisition and analysis software platform.
The company's product portfolio spans TEM correctors (CETCOR, CETCOR-MeV, ATCOR, BCOR, CCOR, SALVE), STEM correctors (CESCOR, DCOR/ASCOR), the SEMCOR Cs/Cc corrector for semiconductor CD-SEM, plus energy-filtering and monochromator subsystems. CEOS sells through two channels: direct integration as OEM components into commercial electron microscopes from Thermo Fisher Scientific, JEOL, Hitachi, and ZEISS, and direct sales of custom instruments to national laboratories (LBNL, Argonne, Jülich/ER-C) and research universities (Ulm, Max Planck, SUSTech, Victoria, Göttingen). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; revenue comes primarily from hardware sales of high-end scientific instruments, supplemented by closed-source device-support licenses for the Panta Rhei software platform.
CEOS has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity. The company is founder-controlled, with managing directors Max Haider, Heiko Müller, and Stephan Uhlemann, and is advised by Prof. Harald Rose. It has received regional and global recognition including the Innovation Award of Baden-Württemberg (2005), Karl-Heinz-Beckurts-Preis (2006), Honda Prize (2008), Wolf Prize in Physics (2011), BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2013/2014), NIMS Award (2015), Kavli Prize in Nanoscience (2020), and the Microscopy Society of America Distinguished Scientist Award (2021). Headcount has grown from 24 in 2004 to 51-100 currently, and disclosed 2004 revenue was €4 million.
CEOS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CEOS
- Legal name
- CEOS Corrected Electron Optical Systems GmbH
- Website
- https://ceos-gmbh.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- CEOS GmbH manufactures aberration correctors, energy filters, and monochromators for high-end electron microscopes, supplying OEM components to Thermo Fisher, JEOL, Hitachi, and ZEISS and custom instruments to national laboratories and research universities worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where CEOS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Heidelberg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CEOS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Electron microscope aberration correctors: Manufacturing and selling of aberration correction systems (Cs, Cc correctors) for TEM, STEM, and SEM electron microscopes. Includes hexapole and quadrupole-octupole type correctors for various microscope types and voltage ranges.
- Energy filters and monochromators: Sale of CEFID imaging energy filters and Omega-monochromators for electron microscopes. Used in spectroscopy and analytical applications.
- Software licensing: CEOS Panta Rhei data acquisition software available as open-source (basic) with paid device support licenses for proprietary detector interfaces.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
CEOS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CEOS researches, develops, and produces advanced optical components for electron microscopes, including correctors for chromatic, spherical, and coma aberrations as well as monochromators. The company manufactures aberration-correction hardware (Cs, Cc, and B3 correctors) for TEM, STEM, and SEM systems, complemented by imaging energy filters (CEFID), electrostatic monochromators, and ultra-high vacuum SEM columns. CEOS Panta Rhei software supports data acquisition and analysis for these instruments.
Product overview
CEOS (Corrected Electron Optical Systems GmbH) offers a comprehensive portfolio of precision electron optical components for advanced electron microscopy. The product lineup centers on aberration correctors (spherical/Cs, chromatic/Cc, and coma) for TEM, STEM, and SEM systems, complemented by imaging energy filters (CEFID), monochromators, and ultra-high vacuum SEM columns. The company provides specialized correctors for different applications: CCOR and SALVE for chromatic/spherical correction in TEM; BCOR and ATCOR for aplanatic/phase-contrast imaging; DCOR/ASCOR and CESCOR for STEM applications; and SEMCOR for semiconductor CD-SEM metrology. CEFID enables energy-filtered imaging and spectroscopy, while the Omega-Monochromator reduces electron beam energy spread. The Panta Rhei software platform provides open-source data acquisition and analysis with Python scripting capabilities for instrument control and EELS quantification.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CETCOR Cs (spherical aberration) corrector for standard transmission electron microscopy, providing correction of third-order spherical aberration for improved resolution. Designed for materials science and life sciences researchers using TEM.
- CETCOR-MeV Cs corrector designed for the MeV energy range, extending aberration correction capabilities to high-voltage transmission electron microscopes. Used by ultra-high-voltage TEM facilities.
- ATCOR Advanced Cs corrector for TEM with optimized aberration correction for phase contrast imaging with large fields of view, featuring correction up to 5th order including six-fold astigmatism A5.
- BCOR Cs/B3 corrector for TEM enabling aplanatic imaging; the first corrector achieving complete correction of spherical aberration and off-axial coma for aberration-free imaging across large detector fields of view. Information limit better than 70pm at 300kV.
- CCOR Cs/Cc + off-axial coma corrector for TEM (achroplanatic), simultaneously correcting chromatic aberration Cc, spherical aberration Cs, and off-axial coma B3. The only commercially available TEM corrector achieving both chromatic and spherical aberration correction, enabling 0.05 nm resolution.
- SALVE Corrector Cs/Cc corrector for low-voltage TEM (20-80 kV range), specifically designed for electron beam-sensitive samples like graphene, lithium compounds, and bio-molecules to minimize knock-on damage while achieving atomic resolution.
- CESCOR Cs corrector for scanning transmission electron microscopy, providing spherical aberration correction for improved STEM probe quality and resolution.
- DCOR / ASCOR Advanced Cs correctors for STEM with optimized aberration correction for large aperture angles (beyond 40 mrad). DCOR compatible with TFS Titan 80-300; ASCOR compatible with JEOL JEM-ARM200F/NEOARM. Suppresses intrinsic six-fold astigmatism for sub-50-pm STEM resolution.
- SEMCOR Cs/Cc corrector for CD-SEM (critical dimension scanning electron microscopy) and low-voltage SEM up to 5 kV. Reduces electron probe diameter up to 3x and increases beam current up to 10x for semiconductor metrology applications below 7nm and 5nm technology nodes.
- CEFID Energy Filter Post-column imaging energy filter (CEOS Energy Filtering and Imaging Device) providing energy-filtered TEM imaging (EFTEM), electron spectroscopic imaging (ESI), and EELS with extremely low non-isochromaticity, long-term stability, and compatibility with multiple detector manufacturers. Dispersion >3 µm/eV at 300kV.
- Omega-Monochromator Electrostatic omega-monochromator for TEM electron sources, providing energy width from 0.7eV (off) down to 0.05eV (on) with 12 µm/eV dispersion, while maintaining dispersion-free beam output. Compatible with Zeiss TEM Libra 200.
- NanoSAM Ultra-high vacuum SEM column developed with ZEISS using Gemini optics principle, designed for Omicron's NanoScanLab electron spectroscopy solutions.
- CEOS Panta Rhei Software Open-source data acquisition and analysis software platform for electron microscopy. Supports multiple detectors and scan generators, provides synchronized acquisition workflows for TEM Imaging, EELS, EFTEM, 4D STEM, and STEM Spectrum Imaging. Features Python scripting API, model-based EELS quantification with public GOS database, and interoperability with LiberTEM and HyperSpy.
Quantifiable outcome
- 0.05 nm resolution achieved in TEAM project TEM and STEM imaging
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use CEOS
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CEOS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability2 records
Feature8 records
CEOS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TEAM (Transmission Electron Aberration-corrected Microscope) Project ConsortiumcoreCEOS was selected for development of spherical and chromatic aberration corrector within the TEAM project. Delivered correctors for three TEAM microscopes installed at US national laboratories (Argonne, Lawrence Berkeley). Achieved 0.05 nm resolution milestone.
- University of Ulm (SALVE Project)coreSALVE (Sub-Angstrom Low-Voltage Electron Microscopy) project developed Cc/Cs corrector for 20-80 kV range. Development successfully completed and instrument delivered to Ulm University.
- Ernst Ruska Zentrum, Jülich (PICO Project)corePICO project resulted in CCOR corrector installation enabling chromatic correction for tomography and elemental mapping. Demonstrated 2-4 nm resolution in thick cells and atomic resolution elemental mapping.
- ESTEEM3 (Enabling Science and Technology through European Electron Microscopy)minorEuropean research infrastructure project for electron microscopy. CEOS participates as technology provider in this EU-funded initiative.
- MoRe-TEM Project ConsortiumminorERC Synergy Grant project for momentum-resolved transmission electron microscopy. CEOS developing new monochromator achieving dE < 5 meV energy width.
- IMPRESS ProjectminorEuropean project for pioneering future of transmission electron microscopy. CEOS contributes aberration correction expertise.
- University of VictoriaminorBuilt B-COR aplanatic corrector and S-CCOR for STEM with Hitachi for university research microscope.
- Thermo Fisher ScientificcoreProducts compatible with TFS Titan, Krios, and Cryo-TEM systems. Correctors integrated into commercial Thermo Fisher electron microscopes.
- JEOLcoreJEOL integration for JEM-ARM200F/NeoARM with ASCOR corrector. Also collaborated on electrostatic corrector prototype for FIB column.
- Hitachi High TechnologycoreProducts compatible with Hitachi HF-3300S TEM. S-CCOR developed with Hitachi for STEM applications.
- KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)minorPhase plate development collaboration with KIT and Bioquant Heidelberg. Joint research on Zach phase plate technology.
- University of Vienna, Sapienza University Rome, AIST OsakaminorMoRe-TEM project partners with Prof. Pichler, Prof. Mauri, and Prof. Suenaga for developing momentum-resolved EELS capabilities.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CEOS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Largest OEM of commercial electron microscopes (Titan, Krios, Themis) and one of CEOS's core OEM partners. Comparable because it integrates aberration-corrected optics into its microscope platforms and competes indirectly for advanced EM project budgets at the system level.
- Hitachi High-Tech: Manufacturer of the HF-3300 high-resolution TEM that integrates CEOS correctors and has co-developed STEM correctors with CEOS. Comparable as both an OEM customer and a developer of advanced electron optical instrumentation for materials science.
- JEOL: Japanese electron microscope manufacturer that has developed its own ASCOR corrector for the JEM-ARM and NEOARM platforms. Comparable because it both integrates CEOS correctors (BCOR, CCOR) and develops in-house correction technology, making it a partner-competitor.
- ZEISS: Manufacturer of Gemini SEM optics and electron microscopy systems, partner with CEOS on the NanoSAM ultra-high vacuum SEM column under BMBF funding. Comparable as an OEM that uses CEOS electron optical expertise to differentiate its microscope offerings.
Others
- Direct Electron: US-based manufacturer of direct electron detectors for TEM and cryo-EM, listed as a CEFID-compatible detector partner. Comparable as an adjacent component supplier serving the same aberration-corrected EM customer base.
- Dectris: Swiss manufacturer of hybrid-pixel electron detectors (ELA) integrated as an add-on to CEOS's CEFID energy filter. Comparable as an ecosystem partner supplying complementary detector hardware for the same CEOS-equipped microscopes.
- Quantum Detectors: UK-based specialist in high-speed electron detectors (Merlin, Medipix) integrated with CEOS's CEFID energy filter. Comparable as an ecosystem partner for advanced TEM and 4D-STEM applications using CEOS correctors.
Emerging players
- Tescan: Czech electron microscope manufacturer expanding into STEM and aberration-corrected platforms. Comparable as a competing/partnering OEM that increasingly addresses the same advanced EM and semiconductor metrology customers as CEOS.
- HREM Research: Japanese specialist in software, simulation, and high-resolution TEM components for materials science. Comparable because it addresses the same advanced EM researchers with tools and services adjacent to CEOS's product range.
Direct peers
- Nion Co. US-based developer and manufacturer of aberration-corrected STEM and ultra-high resolution electron microscopes, with its own monochromator and corrector technology. Direct peer because Nion and CEOS both serve the sub-Ångström and chromatic-corrected TEM/STEM niche with overlapping scientific customer bases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CEOS social profiles
Digital presenceCEOS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CEOS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
CEOS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CEOS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CEOS
What does CEOS do?
CEOS researches, develops, and produces advanced optical components for electron microscopes, including correctors for chromatic, spherical, and coma aberrations as well as monochromators. The company manufactures aberration-correction hardware (Cs, Cc, and B3 correctors) for TEM, STEM, and SEM systems, complemented by imaging energy filters (CEFID), electrostatic monochromators, and ultra-high vacuum SEM columns. CEOS Panta Rhei software supports data acquisition and analysis for these instruments.
Is CEOS a public or private company?
CEOS is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CEOS founded?
CEOS was founded in 1996. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is CEOS based?
CEOS is headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does CEOS make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Electron microscope aberration correctors are the primary driver. The others are energy filters and monochromators and software licensing.
Who are CEOS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Hitachi High-Tech, JEOL and ZEISS. Others are Direct Electron, Dectris and Quantum Detectors. Emerging players are Tescan and HREM Research. Nion Co. is listed as a direct peer.
Does CEOS have an API?
Yes. CEOS Panta Rhei software provides in-process and remote Python scripting API for data acquisition and analysis automation. The open-source edition is available as Python wheels for Linux and Windows. Device interfaces can be added to open-source installation via closed-source pre-compiled wheels with a license from CEOS GmbH. Developer documentation is at software.ceos-gmbh.de.