Equipment at HCNB

Equipment

The HCNB is home to a wide range of world-class instrumentation supporting our research across photonics, materials and the life sciences. Among these, three systems funded through the DFG's Major Research Instrumentation programme form the backbone of our experimental capabilities, each described below. We  welcome enquiries from researchers interested in using our facilities — please get in touch to discuss collaborations and access. (In the first instance, please email Tanja Tegeder, tanja.tegeder(at)uni-koeln(dot)de.)

Multi-Modal Microscope for Cell Mechanics

This instruments combines several measurement techniques in a single instrument, so that the same living sample can be studied in multiple ways. It unites high-resolution confocal and multiphoton fluorescence imaging, fluorescence-lifetime imaging (FLIM), atomic force microscopy for mapping cell stiffness, and light-induced protein micro-patterning to control the cellular microenvironment. Operated alongside our interferometric force-mapping method (ERISM), it allows the minuscule forces that cells exert to be measured while the structures responsible are imaged at the same time. 

Electron Beam Lithography System for Nanofabrication

This high-resolution electron-beam lithography system writes nanoscale patterns with finely controlled, low-aberration electron optics, and reaches large effective writing areas by stitching fields together on laser-encoded precision stages. Forming the heart of our cleanroom facility, it integrates with complementary photolithography, thin-film deposition and etching tools to build extended nanostructures in a contamination-free environment. 

High-Power Ultrafast µ-PL Spectrometer

This instrument captures how luminescent materials and tiny lasers emit light over time, spanning an extraordinary range from picoseconds to milliseconds — nine orders of magnitude. At its core is a wavelength-tunable femtosecond laser delivering exceptionally energetic ultrashort pulses, combined with a streak-camera system for high-resolution timing. Multiphoton excitation allows measurements deep within living cells and scattering tissue.