Delmic was founded in late 2010 as a spin-off from Delft University of Technology and the AMOLF research institute. The company does not manufacture electron microscopes itself. Instead, it develops modules and software that automate and speed up work with these microscopes. Researchers use the technology, for example, to improve new generations of solar cells and to study the building blocks of quantum computers. It also helps in the development of medicines and the production of chips by enabling structures to be visualised more quickly at the nanometre level.
Success overseas
There are now almost 250 Delmic systems in operation across more than thirty countries. They are installed at locations including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Harvard, MIT and Google. CEO Sander den Hoedt comments on this in Het Financieele Dagblad: ‘We have a system installed in almost every top-tier laboratory you can think of.’
PPS funding from Holland High Tech
Delmic is a prime example of success within the Dutch high-tech ecosystem. Together with Delft University of Technology, the company is working on PROJECTION II. This project receives PPP support as part of Holland High Tech’s strategic programme ‘Photonics and Optical Technologies’. The aim is to develop a compact and cost-effective MEMS-based electron column. This will enable advanced imaging techniques on standard electron microscopes, thereby making key technologies such as imaging and photonic detection more widely accessible to research and industry.
