PiF‑IR nano‑scale infrared spectroscopy
One billion times better than FTIR*
Get nano‑IR spectra to understand nanomaterials at a level unattainable with conventional FTIR techniques.
More time for science
Save your time for important work. PiF‑IR spectra are fast and easy to take with no finicky alignments or calibration standards needed.
Unbeatable specifications
As little as
0milliseconds
per spectrum
Sub
0nanometer
spatial resolution
As low as
0wavenumber
spectral resolution
* FTIR is diffraction limited to a resolution of about (10,000 nm )3 = 1×1012 nm3 while PiF‑IR has a resolution of less than (10 nm)3 = 1×103 nm3. Therefore, PiF‑IR is at least 1×109 times more precise.






PiFM nano‑scale chemical mapping
The most advanced mapping technique available
Create chemical absorption maps of nano-scale features in a matter of minutes. Understand material phase distributions or contaminants and defects using high-resolution nano-IR images.
Less than
0nanometer
spatial resolution
As little as
0minutes
for a 250px fixed-wavelength image
The power of notching
Capture clean spectra in one shot
Avoid sample burning and get cleaner spectra with granular laser power notching for both PiFM and PiF‑IR. Create unlimited notches to maximize SNR without having to wait for averaging to drive down noise.



Know what you are looking at
Leverage the power of FTIR libraries at an unprecedented scale. Existing FTIR spectra can be used to identify molecular fingerprints in PiF‑IR spectra.
Never miss a molecule
Easily extract all possible information from a sample using our automated hyPIR™ imaging mode. This technology creates hyper-spectral images where every pixel contains a complete IR spectrum.






Detect any molecule
It doesn’t matter if you want to study organics, inorganic, or both simultaneously. Get the most information with the excellent mono-layer molecular sensitivity provided by PiFM and PiF‑IR. Plus, expand the techniques into other wavelength ranges including visible light for even more varied experiments.
Understand the depth
Probe samples at different depths to get a 3D understanding of how materials are spatially related at the nano-scale.




A fast growing community
People all over the world love and use Vista series microscopes. See the research published using our tools.
What are Photo-induced forces?
Understand why PiFM and PiF‑IR are the most capable nano-IR techniques by learning the principles behind how they work.

Our customer’s perspective
“We believe PiFM is poised to become a genuinely unique tool in the exploration of the phenomena derived in nanoscale systems. This new scanning probe imaging paradigm offers the distinctive prospect of detecting optically induced behavior without directly measuring the photon field created. A direct measure of induced photo-induced polarization/polarizability opens a very unique window in the study of complex materials systems. Moreover, exploiting resonance coupling of cantilever nano-mechanical modes as direct detectors of photo-mediated forces will allow phase-sensitive detection techniques to enable the sensitive observation of local optical responses with extraordinary nanoscale resolution.”

Faculty of Arts and Sciences | Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138
Don’t just see it. Identify it!
PiFM Applications

Reverse Engineer a Pre-cooked Rice Package
Background Multilayer films have been utilized in packaging food and drink for many years as…

AFM-IR-Raman: Using Three Techniques for Better Nano-Chemical Analysis
Background Raman microscopy is becoming increasingly popular, and companies are creating new products that combine…

Spectroscopy and Imaging of Optical Near-fields on Plasmonic Nanostructures with UV-vis-NIR PiFM

Analyzing Forensic Trace Evidence with IR PiFM
Background Trace Evidence Analysis is the discipline of forensic science that deals with the minute…