NN: Considering the rapid pace at which our understanding of nanoscale phenomena is growing, what developments excite you the most?

I believe that the developments in medical devices and procedures will be absolutely astounding in the coming years as a direct result of efforts by researchers in nanotechnology.
—Patrick O'Hara, CEO of Ambios Technology, Inc.

Please talk about the tools your company has developed in the past, and how they enabled research into nanoscience.

WITec has developed the AlphaSNOM, an easy to use cantilever based near-field scanning optical microscope integrating confocal as well as atomic force microscopy in one instrument. In near-field optical microscopy it is possible to overcome the diffraction limit of optical microscopy leading to high resolution imaging of optical properties of a sample. With the AlphaSNOM the topography is imaged simultaneously with the optical image, not limiting the research to only one technique. To image chemical properties WITec has developed the Confocal Raman Microscopy CRM 200, enabling high resolution Raman microscopy with highest sensitivity. Due to the modular setup of the WITec microscopy system, it is for example possible to upgrade the CRM 200 with AFM capabilities. For atomic force microscopy WITec offers the Mercury 100 AFM with the integrated Digital Pulsed Force Mode, a unique measurement mode for imaging of various surface properties. With modular, high resolution microscopy systems WITec provides universal tools for research and development in nanotechnology and materials science on the nanoscale.
—Harald Fischer, Marketing Manager, WITec GmbH.

Nanotech Tools are instruments and software which allow us to see, touch, manipulate, manufacture, model and simulate in the nanoworld. This is the most mature sector of the nanotech world, including many publicly-traded companies. Now it is more important than ever for the tools to take a leap in capability in order to effectively support the explosion in nanotechnology which is anticipated over time. Nanotechnology Tools- The Picks and Shovels of the Revolution SDForum

From your point of view, what is nanotechnology?

Nanotechnolgy is an interdisciplinary field that enables products that take advantage of properties that can only be realized with nano-scale materials. At the nanometer scale, physics crosses into the quantum realm and amazing things are possible. A good example of this is the carbon nanotube. A transistor made out of this material has the potential to be two orders of magnitude smaller in size and an order of magnitude faster in operating frequency, while consuming a small fraction of the power of a CMOS transistor. This is not just an incremental improvement, but a technology that breaks through the fundamental physical limits of semiconductors in their current form. The carbon nanotube is also over 100 times stronger than steel and as thermally conductive as diamond. Devices made of such materials will change the world and enable the creation of entirely unforeseen products.
—Brian Lim, CEO of Atomate Corporation.