NanoWorld Holding

What NanoWorld Holding does

NanoWorld Holding AG is a privately held Swiss holding company registered in Schaffhausen, founded in 2003 by Manfred Detterbeck, who also founded NanoWorld AG in Neuchâtel in 2000. The group is the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality tips for Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), with NanoWorld AG claiming over 50% global market share in SPM tips. The portfolio is organized under a "two brands under one roof" strategy: NanoWorld serves mid-range industrial and mass-market applications, while NANOSENSORS serves the high-end research segment, supplemented by BudgetSensors (budget-oriented), MikroMasch and OPUS by MikroMasch (industrial standards), and sQube (colloidal probes).

Name

NanoWorld Holding

Legal name

NanoWorld Holding AG

Website

https://nanoworldholding.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NanoWorld Holding AG is a Swiss holding company whose subsidiaries manufacture and globally distribute Atomic Force Microscopy probes and related MEMS/nanofabrication products across research, industrial, and semiconductor markets under multiple branded product lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Atomic Force Microscopy Probes and Consumables

NAICS

Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713), Offices of Other Holding Companies (551112)

SIC

Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries (3990)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom/ASIC & Foundry-Adjacent IDM Services (HDAHAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Package Substrates & Interposers (ABF/BT, Silicon/Glass) (HDAHADAE)

Keywords

• Atomic force microscopy probes
• Scanning probe microscopy
• MEMS fabrication services
• AFM probe manufacturing
• Nanotechnology consumables

Headquarters

HQ city

Schaffhausen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. AFM Probes and SPM Consumables Sales: Sale of scanning probe microscopy and atomic force microscopy probes under multiple brands (NanoWorld, NANOSENSORS, BudgetSensors, MikroMasch, OPUS, sQube) to research institutions, universities, and industrial customers. Products include silicon AFM probes, silicon nitride probes, tipless probes, colloidal probes, and calibration gratings.
2. MEMS Fabrication and Process Development Services: NanoWorld Services GmbH provides MEMS design, process development, and production services, turning customer MEMS ideas into products with integrated services including world-wide logistics and invoicing.
3. EBD Tool Manufacturing: nanotools GmbH designs, manufactures and markets tools for nanotechnology applications including high aspect ratio and enhanced resolution AFM probes for semiconductor and high-tech industry.
4. Online Sales and Web Store: Direct online sales through web stores for BudgetSensors, MikroMasch, and sQube products serving customers worldwide.
5. OEM/Private Label Supply: Supply of AFM probes to major AFM manufacturers under OEM arrangements, who then offer products to their customers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NanoWorld Holding AG is a Swiss holding company that designs, manufactures, and distributes Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) probes and related consumables under multiple brands (NanoWorld, NANOSENSORS, BudgetSensors, MikroMasch, OPUS, sQube) for research institutions, universities, and industrial customers. Through its subsidiaries, the group also provides MEMS fabrication, process development, and EBD-based nanotools for the semiconductor and high-tech industries.

Product overview

NanoWorld Holding AG operates as a holding company managing a portfolio of nanotechnology companies focused on Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) probes and related products. The group encompasses manufacturing subsidiaries (NanoWorld AG, NanoWorld Services GmbH, Innovative Solutions Bulgaria Ltd., nanotools GmbH) and distribution entities (NanoAndMore GmbH, NanoAndMore USA, NanoAndMore Japan). Key product brands include BudgetSensors (budget-friendly AFM probes), MikroMasch/OPUS by MikroMasch (industrial AFM probes), sQube (colloidal probes), NANOSENSORS (high-end research probes), and NanoWorld (mid-range industrial probes). The group also provides MEMS fabrication services through NanoWorld Services and distributes through the NanoAndMore channel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NanoWorld: Mid-range segment scanning probes for Atomic Force Microscopy, customized for industrial applications and mass market.
• NANOSENSORS
• BudgetSensors
• MikroMasch
• OPUS by µmasch
• sQube

Products and services

• BudgetSensors AFM Probes Reasonably priced, high-quality AFM probes for day-to-day AFM measurements, including dynamic, force modulation, and contact mode probes with various coatings (aluminium reflex, gold, conductive, magnetic, DLC, diamond) and tip radius of 1 nm. Designed for budget-conscious researchers and small labs needing routine measurement consumables.
• NANOSENSORS AFM Probes High-quality scanning probes for Atomic Force Microscopy targeting the premium segment, offering the widest range of cutting-edge AFM probes for scientists at universities, research institutions, and industrial R&D centers requiring superior precision and reliability.
• NanoWorld AFM Probes AFM probes for mid-range industrial mass applications and standard measurements, distinguished by proven reliability, high availability, and high quality standards. Targeted at industrial customers requiring mass-market AFM probes for production and quality control.
• MikroMasch AFM Probes Well-established AFM probe brand including the HQ (High Quality) Line for tapping, force modulation and contact mode applications, with multi-cantilever AFM probes and tipless AFM probes. Used for standard AFM measurements across research and industrial settings.
• OPUS by MikroMasch AFM Probes AFM probes with tips positioned at 90 degrees to the cantilever edge for precise positioning on areas of interest, including high-speed-scanning AFM probes, ultra sharp AFM probes, and carbon nanofiber AFM tips.
• sQube Colloidal AFM Probes Colloidal AFM probes featuring microspheres mounted on tipless AFM cantilevers, available in Borosilicate Glass, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polystyrene, Silicon Dioxide, and Gold materials with diameters 2-20 micrometers. Used for force measurement, adhesion, and colloidal interaction studies.
• nanotools High Aspect Ratio AFM Probes High aspect ratio and enhanced resolution AFM probes produced using Electron Beam Induced Processing (EBD) for deposition of High-Dense, amorphous Diamond-like Carbon (HDC) three-dimensional features. OEM production for semiconductor fabs and high-tech industry for inline process control.
• AFM Calibration Gratings Comprehensive range of calibration gratings including the proprietary KPF calibration grating, lateral and height calibration gratings on the nanoscale, and HOPG (Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite) gratings for AFM calibration and reference measurements.
• MEMS Fabrication and Process Development Services MEMS design, process development, and production services with tight integration, including photoresist spray coating with projection alignment services. Located at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology in Erlangen, with access to full capacity 4-inch and 6-inch wafer fabrication. Turn customer MEMS ideas into products with worldwide logistics and invoicing.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crest Technology Pte LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2020Strategic alliance for South East Asia formed June 2020. Crest Technology Pte Ltd brings decades of experience in AFM systems and probe applications/sales. NanoAndMore provides online presence and marketing power. Combined expertise expands NanoWorld Group's presence in the Southeast Asian market.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNanoWorld Services GmbH is located at and collaborates with the Fraunhofer Institute in Erlangen on many projects, enabling access to full capacity of complete facilities for 4-inch and 6-inch wafer fabrication.
• Apex Probes LtdminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK subcontractor for NanoAndMore GmbH, providing local distribution presence in the United Kingdom market.
• Major AFM Manufacturers (OEM Partners)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAll major AFM manufacturers offer probes produced by NanoWorld AG to their customers either as NanoWorld brand or OEM product. This validates the company's market position and provides embedded distribution globally.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Raith: Raith manufactures electron-beam lithography, nanomanipulation, and nanofabrication systems for research and industrial customers — overlapping with the semiconductor and nano-metrology end markets served by nanotools and NanoWorld Services.
• Heidelberg Instruments: Heidelberg Instruments makes direct-write lithography and nanofabrication systems with adjacent consumables and metrology needs, placing it in the same semiconductor and nano-process-control ecosystem where nanotools operates.

Emerging players

• AppNano: AppNano is an independent AFM probe maker specializing in functionalized and application-specific probes (conductive, magnetic, biological) — a smaller competitor in the same consumables market where NanoWorld's BudgetSensors and MikroMasch lines compete on price-performance.
• Molecular Vista: Molecular Vista is a smaller AFM system and probe developer focused on peak-force and other advanced imaging modes, targeting the same advanced research customers and competing for the same high-end probe applications where NANOSENSORS excels.

Direct peers

• Nanosurf: Nanosurf builds AFM and STM systems for academic and industrial research customers, including teaching and entry-level markets that overlap with NanoWorld's budget-priced BudgetSensors and OPUS brands.
• Bruker Nano Surfaces: Bruker's Nano Surfaces division manufactures AFM systems and supplies complementary consumables to the same SPM customer base as NanoWorld, and is one of the major AFM instrument makers that resells NanoWorld probes as OEM/co-branded product.
• Park Systems: Park Systems builds AFM systems with a particular focus on industrial and semiconductor metrology, overlapping with the same industrial and semi-customer segments that NanoWorld and nanotools serve.
• NT-MDT Spectrum Instruments: NT-MDT designs and manufactures AFM and SPM systems and sells directly into universities, research institutes, and industrial R&D — the same primary customer base as NanoWorld's NANOSENSORS and MikroMasch brands.
• Nanonics Imaging: Nanonics develops multiprobe AFM systems and related consumables for advanced nanoscale research applications, positioning in the same high-end research-institution niche that NanoWorld's NANOSENSORS brand serves.
• Oxford Instruments Asylum Research: Asylum Research (an Oxford Instruments business) makes high-end AFM systems for advanced research — the same university and industrial R&D customer segments NanoWorld serves — and partners with probe makers including NanoWorld for its installed base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nanoworldholding
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nanoworld-holding-ag

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NanoWorld Holding