Gerd Binning was born in Frankfurt, Germany in July 1947. His ambition, since he was 10 years old, was to be a physicist. During his free time, he played his violin. In 1973, he received his Bachelor’s degree in physics and continued his doctorate degree at J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt.
In 1978, he worked as a researcher in physics at IBM, Zurich. Together with Heinrich Rohrer, he invented the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM). The STM was a big break in nanotechnology. It is an instrument used for viewing objects at the atomic level.
In 1986, they were awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of the STM. According to the Nobel Committee, “entirely new fields are opening up for the study of the structure of matter” because of their invention. They shared the award with Ernst Ruska, inventor of the electron microscope. They were also awarded the German Physics Prize, the Otto Klung Prize, the Hewlett Packard Prize and the King Faisal Prize.
Five Important Facts about Gerd Binning:
- In 1986, he also invented the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) which further helped the study of surfaces.
- He was a visiting professor at Stanford University.
- In 1989, he wrote the book Aus dem Nichts (Out of Nothing). The book was about creativity in relation to chaos.
- In 1994, he co-founded the Definiens AG with Dieter Herold. Definies technology is used in Life Sciences like drug discovery, development, and diagnostic processes. It is also used in Earth Sciences in satellite and aerial imaging.
- Because of their contribution, an IBM research facility (Binning and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center) was named after them.
Related Articles:
