Company Announcements

In November, Leica Microsystems and Germany’s Center for Structural Systems Biology established a partnership for the development of new integrated cryo-imaging solutions, and the establishment of the Advanced Light and Fluorescence Microscopy facility.

In December, JPK Instruments partnered with Cytosurge, making Cytosurge’s FluidFM technology available on the JPK NanoWizard AFM platform. FluidFM technology unites the best features of microfluidics and force microscopy by introducing closed microscopic channels into force sensitive probes. As a result, micro- and nanopipettes can be controlled with utmost precision and without damaging cells.

ZEISS announced in December the addition of two positions to its four-member Executive Board, effective January 1, 2018. Dr. Jochen Peter will join the Board representing the Research & Quality Technology segment. He is currently head of the Industrial Metrology business group. Dr. Karl Lamprecht will join the Board representing the Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology segment. He currently heads the segment. CFO and CIO Thomas Spitzenpfeil will leave the company, effective September 2018.

ZEISS announced that revenue for the year ending September 30 for the Research & Quality Technology segment (the Industrial Metrology and Microscopy business groups), sales rose 4.9% to €1,538 million ($1,709 million), or 29% of total company sales.

Product Introductions

Thermo Fisher Scientific launched in September the new Thermo Scientific Nexsa surface analysis system, which easily integrates X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) with additional techniques for correlative analysis in materials research. It combines the Thermo Scientific K-Alpha⁺ XPS system with the Thermo Scientific ESCALAB Xi⁺ microprobe. Among the complimentary techniques that can be added are Raman spectroscopy, ion scattering spectroscopy, reflected electron energy loss spectroscopy and UV photoelectron spectroscopy. New features include a small spot x-ray source and the ability to transfer air-sensitive materials into the instrument.

Thermo Fisher Scientific released TopoMAPS software for SEM image analysis, powered by Digital Surf’s Mountains software platform. Features includes SEM image enhancement, 3D reconstruction and metrology.

In November, Olympus Life Science introduced two new upright models of its FLUOVIEW FV3000 confocal laser scanning microscopes designed for in vitro and in vivo experiments. One model is optimized for fixed-tissue experiments and the other is optimized for electrophysiology.

ZEISS, in collaboration with the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at the University of California, San Diego, debuted in November a new Focal Charge Compensation module for block face imaging with the ZEISS GeminiSEM and 3View from Gatan. It is designed for imaging biological sample features with faster acquisition rates and minimal sample damage.

In November, ZEISS released a new imaging mode for its ZEISS LSM 8 family with Airyscan for live-cell imaging. The new mode creates an optical section of 0.2 Airy units and resolves structures down to 120 nm laterally in a single image.

In December, ZEISS debuted the ZEISS GeminiSEM 450 for analytics and ultrahigh resolution, calling it a new FE-SEM flagship. It enables researchers to switch seamlessly between imaging and analytical modes at the touch of a button, and caters to a broad variety of sample types.

ZEISS released in December the ZEISS ZEN Intelleis, a new machine learning capability for segmentation of correlative microscopy datasets. The software is available for the company’s full range of optical, confocal, x-ray, electron and ion microscopes. It allows multiple spatially registered datasets to be used in parallel during classification. It also works with 6D datasets.

In December, Leica Microsystems introduced the DM6 LIBS microscope for materials analysis. It allows researchers to analyze microstructure and composition in one work step. It features an integrated LIBS function, and eliminates the need for sample transfer, as well as the time for sample preparation and set up for electron microscopy.