INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVE AND PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT
This report focuses on tools and instrumentation for nanotechnology-the
technologies, products, and applications that are allowing scientists and
business people alike to do the work of nanotechnology. Every aspect of basic
nanoscale science as well as commercial production of nanotechnologies is
dependent upon the capacity of instruments and tools to measure, sense,
fabricate and manipulate matter at the nanoscale. Nanotechnology tools and
instruments are the hardware, software, and supplies used to measure and
manipulate structures on the nanoscale. They include microscopes, probes,
lithography systems, manipulation and fabrication systems, software, and other
accessories. Rarely are these instruments unique to nanotechnologies. Most of
them were developed in other industries, especially in semiconductor and
chipmaking, where sub-micron manufacturing principles have fueled the
communications explosion. Chemistry, physics, biology, and materials science
have also had a significant impact, and it is in this interdisciplinarity that
nanotechnology is unique. The history of nanoscale instrumentation is rather
short, barely twenty years. That history is measurable to the day in 1981 that
Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Binnig, scientists at IBM Research in Zurich, invented
the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). In the intervening decades a wide range
of machines and tools have emerged, including especially the atomic force
microscope (AFM) (invented by Binnig, Christoph Gerber and Calvin Quate in
1986), that allow not only the imaging and analysis of a surface at the
molecular and atomic levels, but also the manipulation of individual atoms and
molecules. To image a surface, an AFM measures the tiny deflections of a sharp
probe when dragged over a surface. As the elevation of the surface changes, the
probe is deflected up or down, and this deflection is measured. A computer is
able to combine the measurements from the whole surface and produce an image of
the surface's topography. In 1986, two important events in scanning probe
microscopy (SPM) history occurred: Binnig and Rohrer won the Nobel Prize for
inventing the STM, and Digital Instruments was formed. Digital Instruments was
the first company to commercially market a line of SPMs. The company sold some
300 microscopes between 1986 and 1990 for about $70,000 a piece. In 1998,
Digital Instruments was acquired by Veeco Instruments. In 1990, another pair
of IBM employees, D.M. Eigler and E.K. Schweitzer published the now-well known
image of IBM's initials spelled out with 35 individual xenon atoms. By
consciously manipulating individual atoms, Eigler and Schweitzer had
fundamentally changed the playing field, exhibiting that nanoscale precision and
fabrication was possible for industrial purposes. The commercial use of these
microscopes of course engendered a range of progeny: the microscopes require
high-tech probes and tips in order to do their work; they require sophisticated
software to produce readable images; they require add-ons and accessories for
specialty functions; and they require extremely well-trained users. These are
all new markets, and research facilities, whether for basic or applied science,
and corporate research divisions are the major customers for them. Over the next
few years, however, we will witness a new industry emerge, as industries begin
to see the cost benefit of nanotechnology to the bottom line. Some of the
earliest beneficiaries will be the life sciences and semiconductor industries,
which, by the very nature of their businesses, are already dealing with
nanoscale environments. The integration of second and third generation
nanotechnology instruments and tools will mark the beginning of an industrial
paradigm shift. Nanotechnology tools are not limited to microscopy product;
they can also take the shape of furnaces or reactors and other equipment for the
manufacture of carbon nanotubes or other nanoparticles. Because these
apparatuses are usually custom designed for research or commercial purposes, and
there is, therefore, no particular market for them, this report does not address
furnaces or reactors. The report summarizes the status of instrumentation
technology for nanotechnology applications. It also sheds light on the markets
for these tools and instruments, including nanotechnology companies, research
facilities, corporate R&D and government labs, and estimates potential size
and segmentation of these discrete areas.
REASONS FOR THIS STUDY
Nanotechnology has received an enormous amount of attention in the past few
years, but little data exists to help business people make strategic decisions
about the integration of nanotechnologies into their planning. Some analysts
have compared instruments for nanotechnology to "shovels for the gold
rush." However, it is extremely difficult to get reliable information about
the extent of instrumentation being sold specifically for nanotechnology
applications. This report attempts to cut through the wishful thinking to
understand the trends and issues that are shaping the tools and instruments
market.
CONTRIBUTION OF THE STUDY
This report shows the current size and the future size of the tools and
instrumentation market in the U.S. and globally. But while the full range of
competitors is global, most of the markets discussed here are dominated by U.S.
companies. The National Nanotechnology Initiative is certainly responsible for
an expanded awareness of nanotechnologies in the U.S., as well as for
significant funding for nanotechnology research. This fact has actually
affected a global trend, the rise of Japan and Korea in microscopy products.
Those countries still dominate light microscopy, but have fallen behind the U.S.
in electron and probe microscopy. Switzerland has recently joined the
competitive landscape as well and could be an able contender. This report
offers a means of understanding the strategic importance of instrumentation in
the nanotechnology landscape and suggests some key avenues for investment.
SCOPE AND FORMAT
There are few, if any, reports currently available that look discretely at
the emerging markets for tools and instruments specifically developed for and
used by the nanotechnology community (as opposed to the much larger
semiconductor capital equipment and chemical/materials engineering markets, from
which many nanotechnology instruments are derived). There are only a handful of
capital equipment makers building instrumentation specifically for
nanotechnologies. Most manufacturers offer broad product lines that encompass
nanotechnology, but do not discretely break nanotechnology sales. This often
makes it particularly hard to discern nanotechnology sales from other technology
areas. This report therefore attempts to limit the scope by excluding particular
technology areas, especially the semiconductor industry which, while certainly
working with nanoscale products, is clearly its own sector. While many
innovations are impacting the instrumentation marketplace, relatively few major
advances have taken place in the last few years. Nanolithography, for example,
promises to be a major area of growth over time, but even the most ardent
supporters of the technology do not see significant market impact from
nanolithography for a decade. This does not mean that nanolithography and other
techniques will not have short-term impact, but rather, that we must be aware of
the incremental effect of these technologies. Thus, this report focuses on
near-term opportunities, rather than on longer-term ones that require
significant technological advances. The report is broken into five sections.
First there is a technology overview that gives the broad details of
instrumentation and tools, along with some of their characteristics and
technical aspects. Next there is a description of the instrumentation industry,
including profiles of some of the key players. A larger review of relevant
companies appears in the section on company profiles. Following this section on
industry structure there is a description of tools and instruments by type,
followed by a description of the markets for instruments, including future
trends. The fourth section reviews patent and IP issues in nanotechnology
instrumentation, including a review of the patent infringement suit that Veeco
has brought against Asylum Research. The report concludes with a listing of more
than 80 companies in the nanotechnology instrumentation field.
METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION
This report is the end result of 4 months of concerted effort by the author.
The primary sources of information for writing this report came from interviews
with several dozen people in industry, academia, and the government. The author
also attended meetings and conferences, and much precious insight was gained
from these sources as well. Many of the people interviewed are recognized
authorities in the field and provided invaluable assistance, and the author
would like to thank all who took the time to offer their help with this project.
Secondary sources used for this report include a number of publications by the
federal government, plus items gleaned from the Internet, corporate literature,
and publications in the peer-reviewed literature. | 
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