Abingdon, UK 12/17/12; Santa Barbara, CA 12/17/12; Abingdon, UK 12/19/12—Oxford Instruments has acquired Asylum Research, a supplier of scanning probe microscopes (SPMs), for $32.0 million, with a deferred payment of up to $48.0 million payable over three years depending on performance. In 2011, Asylum recorded revenues of $19.6 million and EBIT of $1.1 million. Approximately 60% of Asylum’s sales are in the material science area and 40% are in the bio-nano area. “The acquisition of Asylum Research significantly increases our footprint in the nanotechnology space and complements our strong position in electron microscopes with a presence in another fundamental nanotechnology measurement technique,” commented Oxford Chief Executive Jonathan Flint. “The acquisition also gives us access to the rapidly growing bio-nano market as it allows customers to perform analysis of organic samples in their natural liquid environments, something which cannot readily be done using electron microscopes.”