We build matter, atom by atom.
For over a decade, our team has pursued one of the hardest goals in science — complete, deterministic control over the placement of individual atoms. Today, we are turning that goal into an industrial capability.
From a bold idea to a working platform.
CBN Nano Technologies grew out of a decades long effort to make atomically precise manufacturing real. What began as a small, stealth research team pursuing "direct-to-diamondoid" fabrication using scanning probe methods evolved into a dedicated company backed by the resources and discipline of a world-class Canadian manufacturer.
Along the way, we assembled a unique combination of capabilities under one roof: surface science, ultra-high-vacuum engineering, custom molecular tool synthesis, atomistic simulations, and precision instrumentation. In 2026, our work produced landmark demonstrations of positionally controlled additive and subtractive mechanosynthesis on silicon — results the field had debated as theoretical for four decades.
We have since transitioned from a research-heavy group into an execution-capable platform company, with strong engineering and software capacity and a clear commercial focus on the quantum era.
A trajectory measured in atoms.
The Pursuit Begins
Foundational work on atomically precise manufacturing using scanning probe methods and custom molecular tools.
CBN Nano Formed
Incorporated in Ottawa to pursue commercial-scale atomically precise manufacturing.
Platform Maturity
Inverted-mode STM introduced — solving the longstanding problem of probe-apex characterization.
Proof at the Atom
Demonstrated reliable additive C₂ donation and subtractive Si abstraction on Si(100), with C–C bond formation.
Our Scientific Lineage
The goal of building matter atom by atom was not born in a single lab. CBN Nano stands at the convergence of a scientific lineage more than sixty years in the making: from a physicist's provocation, to the instruments that first let us see and move single atoms, to the theory of molecular manufacturing, and the silicon surfaces where it is now being realized.
Imagines building matter atom by atom, asking what would be possible if we could arrange individual atoms at will.
Invent the scanning tunneling microscope (Nobel Prize, 1986), giving science its first eyes on individual atoms.
Position individual atoms with deliberate control, proving matter can be arranged one atom at a time.
Define the theory of molecular manufacturing and mechanosynthesis: the reactions, tools, and pathways for building with atoms.
Open a path to atomically precise fabrication on silicon surfaces: the canvas CBN Nano builds on.
Reports positionally controlled additive and subtractive mechanosynthesis on silicon, turning six decades of foundational science into laboratory fact.
Where earlier generations asked what should be possible, CBN Nano is answering what we can prove.
Precision as a principle — in the lab and the business.
The same discipline that lets us place a single atom guides how we build our company: deliberately, reliably, and with an eye on the long term.
Determinism
We replace statistical chemistry with designed outcomes. If we can specify a structure, we set out to build exactly that structure — and verify it.
Rigor
Every result is confirmed atom by atom through closed-loop STM and XPS and comparisons with simulations. We publish, we measure, and we hold our claims to the evidence.
Resilience
Operational maturity underpins the science: helium recovery, deep vibration isolation, and a robust spare-parts program keep our instruments productive.
CBN Nano is a multidisciplinary team of over 50 scientists including chemists, physicists, engineers, and software specialists — organized around three technical directorates and five molecular workstations.
Doug Arends
Rick Arends
Steven DeSmet
Mathieu Durand
Tait Takatani
Dusan Vobornik
Building the impossible takes exceptional people.
We are growing our team of scientists and engineers. If atomic precision excites you, we'd like to hear from you.
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