Our Company

nextnano

Our Mission

Become the leading simulator for semiconductor nanodevices


Pushing the Limits of Nanoscale Science: nextnano's Commitment to Innovation.

At nextnano, we strive to advance the field of nanotechnology through the development of innovative software solutions.

Our goal is to empower researchers and engineers to design, simulate, and optimize semiconductor devices with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency.

We are committed to pushing the boundaries of nanoscale science and technology to contribute to the development of sustainable and impactful technologies that benefit society.

By continuously striving for scientific excellence, listening to our customers' needs, and delivering high-quality software products and services, we aim to fulfill our mission and achieve our vision for a better tomorrow.


Our Values

Innovation

We believe in pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo at nextnano. Our commitment to innovation drives us to invest in research and development and encourage our employees to think creatively. We strive to deliver the best possible results for our customers by staying on the cutting edge of technology.

Reliable

We prioritize reliability at nextnano, understanding that our customers rely on us for accurate and dependable simulations. We have a rigorous quality control process to ensure that our software is free from errors and bugs, and we continuously monitor and improve our software to maintain the highest standards of reliability.

Customer focus

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We work closely with them to understand their unique needs and priorities, and provide exceptional customer service with responsive and helpful support. We are committed to continuously improving our software and services to better meet the needs of our customers.

This is nextnano


Stefan Birner

Stefan Birner

Founder & Managing Director

Stefan is the founder and managing director of nextnano GmbH, and he has an extensive academic background in physics. He earned a Master's degree from the University of Exeter and a PhD from Technische Universität München, where he specialized in Theoretical Semiconductor Physics at the Walter Schottky Institute. Throughout his academic career, he studied at various universities worldwide, including Bayreuth, Exeter, and Ohio State.

Thomas Grange

Thomas Grange

Director of Research & Development

Thomas is the Chairman and Research & Development Director of nextnano Lab SAS, an R&D company in Grenoble, France. He is an expert in quantum cascade laser modeling with a PhD in Physics from Université Paris VI (Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie). Prior to founding nextnano Lab SAS, he worked as the Director of Research & Development at nextnano GmbH. During his academic career, he studied at École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS Lyon) and École normale supérieure (ENS), Paris, and conducted research on the theory of electron-phonon interaction, polaron formation, and dynamics in quantum dots.

Alex Trellakis

Alex Trellakis

Research & Development Engineer

Alex has a diverse background in Physics and Computer Science, holding multiple degrees from universities in Germany and the United States. He earned a PhD in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he focused on computational approaches to silicon-based nanostructures. Prior to joining nextnano, he worked as a Research Scientist at Science Applications International Corporation, a Senior TCAD Engineer at Intel Corporation, and an assistant professor at the Walter Schottky Institute of the Technische Universität München. Alex's expertise at nextnano includes device physics, numerical methods, and software engineering.

Maria Cecilia Da Silva Figueira

Maria Cecilia Da Silva Figueira

Research & Development Engineer

Maria, a native of São Paulo, Brazil, earned a BSc degree in Physics, a MSc degree in Nuclear Physics, and an Electrical Engineering degree from the Universidade de São Paulo. Prior to joining nextnano, she worked as a Digital Integrated Circuit Design Engineer for the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil. Currently, at nextnano, Maria leads the LED, laser diode, and nanotransistor modeling business and provides customer support.

Carola Burkl

Carola Burkl

Full Stack Developer

Carola has a background in Engineering Physics and Micro- and Nanotechnology, and holds a BSc and MSc degree from the Hochschule München. During her studies, she worked on the optimization of Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers and experimental characterization of MEMS mirrors. In 2012, she founded a school for the deaf in Togo. At nextnano, she is in charge of developing the nextnanomat graphical user interface.

Takuma Sato

Takuma Sato

Research & Development Engineer

Takuma holds BSc and MSc degrees in Physics from Tohoku University in Japan and is currently enrolled as a PhD student in Electrical Engineering at the Technische Universität München. He has studied magnetoelastic coupling and spintronics in insulators during his Master's degree and worked as an intern in our R&D team in 2019-2020, developing tutorials on various topics. Since May 2021, he has been developing the nextnano.NEGF software for Interband Cascade Lasers as part of the EU Innovative Training Network QUANTIMONY.

Herbert S. Mączko

Herbert S. Mączko

Research & Development Engineer

Herbert holds degrees of Bachelor of Engineering and MSc in Technical Physics with a specialisation in Nanoengineering, as well as a degree of Doctor of Sciences in Physical Sciences. His doctoral work was focused on calculations of electronic band structures and optical gain spectra of GeSn- and BGaAs-based quantum wells for integration with Si platform. Before joining nextnano in 2022, he worked as an Assistant Professor at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, where he got involved in spectroscopy measurements and characterization of semiconductor materials. At nextnano, Herbert supports the team with his programming skills and experience in semiconductor materials.

Heorhii Yehiazarian

Heorhii Yehiazarian

Research & Development Engineer

Heorhii holds a BSc degree in Applied Physics and Energy Systems from the National Technical University of Ukraine and a MSc degree in Material Science from an Erasmus Mundus programme. At nextnano, he is working on R&D, focusing on the modeling of germanium-silicon Quantum-Confined-Stark-Effect electro-absorption modulators (EAM) within our EU project SiPHO-G and on the nextnanopy Python package.

Oleg Yevtushenko

Oleg Yevtushenko

Research & Development Engineer

Oleg is a solid-state physicist born in Kharkov, Ukraine. He has a Master of Science Diploma in Solid State Physics from Kharkov Polytechnic University, and a PhD in Solid State Physics from Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (IRE NASU). He has worked at various research institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden, Germany, and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. His research interests include quantum phenomena, low-dimensional systems, and transport in mesoscopic and disordered systems. At nextnano, he is currently working on advanced research topics such as Electron Flying Qubits.

Niklas Pichel

Niklas Pichel

Research & Development Engineer

Niklas is a student from Germany who is currently studying Engineering Physics (BSc) at the University of Applied Sciences Munich. He is interested in optics, micro- & nanotechnology, and numerical modeling. Niklas is interning for five months at nextnano, where he will gain practical experience in his field of study.

Jörg Stratmann

Jörg Stratmann

Software Developer

Jörg earned his Diplom degree in Computer Science from the University of Bonn, Germany, where he conducted research on robotics and artificial intelligence for his diploma thesis. Since 1999, he has worked as a software developer for a German television channel. At nextnano, he works part-time as a cloud computing expert, with a focus on integrating HTCondor, Azure, and AWS into our graphical user interface..

Lucie Leguay

Lucie Leguay

Research & Development Engineer

Jörg earned his Diplom degree in Computer Science from the University of Bonn, Germany, where he conducted research on robotics and artificial intelligence for his diploma thesis. Since 1999, he has worked as a software developer for a German television channel. At nextnano, he works part-time as a cloud computing expert, with a focus on integrating HTCondor, Azure, and AWS into our graphical user interface..

Zhi Rong Tan

Zhi Rong Tan

Business Development & Sale Specialist

Zhi Rong is a student from Singapore, currently pursuing both a BEng degree in Civil Engineering and an MSc degree in Finance at the National University of Singapore. Prior to joining nextnano, he spent three years working as a financial analyst and copywriter for a Singapore start-up called Dr Wealth. Zhi Rong is completing an internship at nextnano through the NUS Overseas College entrepreneurial programme. Zhi Rong's role at nextnano involves business development, where he is responsible for streamlining company processes and charting the company's direction. He is also involved in the company's sales and marketing efforts, leveraging his experience in finance and copywriting to promote nextnano's products and services.

Former Employees

Alumni



To view a list of all our previous staff members, please click here. We are immensely grateful to our former team members who contributed to the development of both the software and the company.

Our History

2012

Founding of nextnano in Munich, Germany as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich, with a vision to develop cutting-edge simulation software for nanotechnology research.

2015

nextnano relocates to Gate Gründerzentrum, a modern office providing a vibrant and collaborative working environment to further enhance the development of the software.

2017

nextnano contributes to its first EU project, FLASH, focused on SiGe THz QCLs, demonstrating its capabilities as a reliable partner in innovative research.

Learn more about FLASH

2020

With a growing reputation in the field of nanotechnology research, nextnano participates in two additional EU projects. UltraFastNano, focusing on Flying Electron Qubits, and QUANTIMONY, focusing on ICLs, showcasing the software’s broad applications across various fields of research. To accommodate the growth of the company, nextnano moves to a new office in Riem Wappenhalle, a modern facility designed to support the innovative work of its team.

Learn more about UltraFastNano and QUANTIMONY

2021

With an expanding portfolio of EU initiatives, including the fourth EU project, SIPHO-G, focusing on SiGe QCSE EAMs, and continuous growth, nextnano established nextnano holding GmbH to support its operations and strategic objectives.

Later in the year, nextnano strengthens its research capabilities by establishing nextnano Lab SAS in France, reaffirming its commitment to provide cutting-edge simulation software to customers around the world.

Learn more about SiPho-G

2022

nextnano celebrates its 10th anniversary since its founding in Munich, Germany. To mark the occasion, the company hosts a dinner that brings together past and present employees to celebrate its growth and achievements over the past decade.

The company expresses its gratitude to its customers, partners, and employees for their support and contributions over the years.