CeNTech Companies


Nikon GmbH

Center for Nanotechnology
Heisenbergstr. 11
D - 48149 Münster
Dr. Martin Stremmel +49 (0)170/ 8563024
Dr. Frank van den Boom +49 (0)175/ 7237141
Nikon GmbH +49 (0)211/ 9414214


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Nikon GmbH


Nikon has been founded in 1917 as Nippon Kogaku K.K.. In the following years the Nikon enterprise developed competencies in manufacturing optics, electronics and fine mechanics and became pioneer in establishing modern glass manufacturing technologies in Japan.

This was the basis for the production of optical instruments in highest optical and mechanical quality. In the beginning the optical instruments were mainly developed and produced for military purposes. Between 1930 and 1940 the product portfolio has been extended with microscopes, binoculars and cameras. The Nikon brand became famous in the whole world for the mechanical rigidity and the excellent optical quality of these new products. In 1980 the first Nikon Stepper has been produced. Today the Nikon Corporation (Tokyo) is a worldwide operating enterprise in the field of opto-electronics. The Nikon group comprises out of more than 25 international Sales-, Service-, and development subsidiaries. About 58% of Nikons revenues are generated with the sales of conventional and digital photo cameras, Dia-Scanners, eyewear and binoculars. The other part of Nikons revenues is generated with instruments for industry and science (e.g. Steppers for the semiconductor industry, microscopes for biological and medical applications, industrial optical metrology).

The Nikon GmbH in Düsseldorf has been founded in 1971. Until the beginning of 2010 it used to be the German sales and service organization for microscopes and optical metrology as well as for photo cameras and scanners. In the beginning of year 2010 Nikon GmbH has outsourced the sales and service for metrology products into a new Nikon group company (Nikon Metrology). From about 140 Nikon employees in Germany more than 35 are active in the business unit Microscopy. Most of them are sales and service specialists who are in daily contact with the end users in order to provide the best possible service to our end customers. In the German Headquarter in Düsseldorf another team is active in creating quotations, processing sales orders, product management and marketing. Here we also have a central warehouse and our central service workshop. Besides a central demo facility in Düsseldorf, Nikon GmbH is running several Demo-Centers in Germany which can be used for more complex demonstrations (e.g. the Nikon Demo Center at CeNTech in Münster) and has established a Nikon Imaging Center (NIC) in the Bioquant Institute on the university campus in Heidelberg. The NIC@Uni-Heidelberg is one of meanwhile 9 Nikon Imaging Center worldwide. It is the goal of all Nikon Imaging center to provide scientists access to most recent microscope and imaging technologies.

The broad variety of Nikon microscopes comprises out of light microscopes (compound microscopes), stereo microscopes and digital cameras for laboratories and surgeries. Furthermore Nikon offers complex optical systems (such as high end confocal microscopes, TIRF systems) to research in Medicine, Biology and Industry. Recently Nikon introduced so called "Super Resolution Light Microscopes" which offer a resolution up to 20 nm.

The combination of rigid mechanics, excellent optics and modern electronics (for controlling of the microscopes and for image analysis) leads to powerful and ergonomic microscopes. This applies for applications in Biology and Medicine as well as for industrial applications (e.g. quality control in semiconductor industries).