LIG Nanowise completes £2.6m seed funding round for “world’s most powerful” light microscope

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LIG Nanowise, which specialises in developing super-resolution microscope technology and applying revolutionary and patented microsphere lens technologies to industry and academia, has announced the completion of its seed funding round, raising £2.6million.

LIG says it has developed an accessible super-resolution imaging technique for advanced materials, semiconductors, metal alloys, and more. It claims that its specialist technology transforms light microscopes into ultra-high-resolution systems for the first time, through the record-breaking performance of its microsphere lenses.

The company’s NANOPSIS M microscope, allows for real-time, non-destructive imaging at super-resolution in full colour, democratising super-resolution capabilities in the scientific community, stretching what were thought to be the limits of optical microscopy.

The financing, which was led by Hong Kong based venture capital investor Phoenix Bridge, alongside private investors, will go towards expanding the company’s manufacturing capability and international sales network, helping to deliver its NANOPSIS M microscope to new prospects across industry and academia. A proportion of the money will also help to fund continued R&D efforts in multiple sectors, and further develop the organisation’s nano-patterning system.

According to SIG, the patented SMAL technology reveals the nanoscopic world in previously unseen ways. With this technique, it explains there is no need for the traditional coating of a sample, which is required when using a common electron or atomic force microscope. This technology is said to enable users to see objects smaller than 200nm in high-resolution and full colour.

LIG believes its technology has the potential to open up new vistas of research for super-materials such as graphene and semiconductors, providing a new, synergistic imaging technique to integrate into existing imaging protocols. Its microsphere lens technology has further far-reaching applications in areas such as industrial nanoprecision laser etching of surfaces, for applications such as bank note security and microelectronics.