Science connects. Quality too. We operate internationally and specialise in the requirements in all corners of the world.

MADE IN GERMANY.
THEN ALL OVER THE WORLD.

Science connects. Quality too. We operate internationally and specialise in the requirements in all corners of the world.

History of the
Surface Concept GmbH

In 1996 the later founders of Surface Concept GmbH had a vision: Electron microscopes and spectrometers should not only provide insights into the nanometer and subnanometer range but also into the nanosecond and picosecond range. An intensive search for suitable detection techniques began, which were characterized by the high demands of electron microscopy and -spectroscopy as extremely difficult.

History of the Surface Concept GmbH

A detection technique from the COLTRIMS method developed by Prof. Dr. Schmidt-Böcking and borrowed from experimental particle physics of the 1960s, the so-called delay detector technique, was chosen as the most promising candidate and was further developed at great expense to meet the special requirements of electron microscopy and spectroscopy.

Dr. Andreas Oelsner and Prof. Dr. Gerd Schönhense (both founders of Surface Concept GmbH) successfully developed the world's first picosecond photoemission electron microscope (ToF-PEEM), which was presented to a broad public for the first time in its compact MINI-PEEM version at the Hannover Fair 2002.

The world's first picosecond ToF-PEEM for commercial purposes was the MINI-PEEM - here at the Hannover Fair 2002.
Tof-PEEM stands for "time-of-flight photoemission electron microscope”

The new segmented design of the delay detectors developed by Dr. Andreas Oelsner has been patented since 2003 (DE10335718B4).

Dr. Andreas Oelsner and Prof. Dr. Gerd Schönhense were awarded the BESSY Innovation Prize for Synchrotron Radiation in 2004 for the development of time-resolving photoemission electron microscopes.

Dr. Andreas Oelsner (left) and Prof. Dr. Gerd Schönhense (right) during the award ceremony at the BESSY user meeting on December 2, 2004

• Italy
• Greece
• Spain
• Japan
• South Korea
• Singapore
• Malaysia
• China
• India
• Australia
• USA
• Canada
• Mexico
• Brazil
• Colombia

Surface Concept GmbH was founded in 2005. Since then we have equipped many hundreds of spectrometers, microscopes or laboratories with time-resolving detectors or corresponding detector electronics.

In addition, we produce and supply photoemission electron microscopes, imaging spin detectors, super-resolution fluorescence microscopes and scientific CMOS cameras.

Our devices and systems are in use worldwide, e.g. in:

• Germany
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Luxembourg
• France
• Belgium
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Russia
• Czech Republic
• Hungary
• Sweden
• Finland
• Norway
• Great Britain
• Ireland