Our Company

nextnano

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


At nextnano, we are a premier software company committed to advancing nanotechnology through innovative solutions. Our state-of-the-art simulation tools cater to electronic and optoelectronic semiconductor nanodevices, empowering researchers and engineers worldwide. With over 350 customers in 36 countries, including universities, government research institutes, and semiconductor companies, we drive innovation and ensure customer satisfaction across industries.

Our Mission: Establishing the Standard in Simulating Quantum Effects in Semiconductors

To establish the nextnano software as the de-facto standard simulation for exploring quantum effects in semiconductors. We strive to provide our customers with the most accurate and reliable simulation tools, backed by exceptional customer support and service.

Our Vision: Leading Nanoscale Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future

To lead the forefront of nanoscale science and technology, driving transformative innovation for a sustainable future. By continuously pushing the boundaries of nanoscale science and technology, and by listening to our customers' needs, we are committed to fulfilling our mission and achieving our vision for a better tomorrow.

Our Founder's Message


Stefan Birner



I am Stefan Birner, the founder and managing director of nextnano GmbH.

The nextnano software originated from an idea around the year 2000 at the Walter Schottky Institute of the Technische Universität München, aiming to develop a highly versatile software for the three-dimensional modeling of quantum effects in semiconductor heterostructures. The software was developed within the Theoretical Semiconductor Physics group led by Professor Peter Vogl.

Motivated by our successful participation in the Munich Business Plan Competition, as well as the entrepreneurial education I received during my PhD studies at UnternehmerTUM, I decided to establish a company to commercialize this software. Upon completing my PhD and with the retirement of my professor, I realized this idea in 2012.

nextnano has evolved through the collective feedback from hundreds of passionate users seeking to understand the physics within their semiconductor nanostructures. I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback from our users.

Since 2012, we have continuously supported researchers at universities, government research institutions, and companies of all sizes worldwide. We are committed to empowering both PhD students and learning professionals to achieve more with our software. Join us on this journey of studying quantum effects in semiconductor nanodevices.

Our Logo


nextnano logo



Our logo represents the quantum state n in the ket notation which is used by physicists to describe quantum mechanics in mathematical language (a complex vector in Linear Algebra). nextnano has been derived from the idea to develop a “next generation 3D nanodevice simulator” (nextnano³), a simulator for modeling the next generation of tiny semiconductor devices exploiting quantum effects.


Our Values


Innovation

We embrace innovation, challenging conventions to drive progress. Our investment in research and development fosters a culture of creativity among our employees. By staying at the forefront of technology, we deliver the best results to our customers.

Reliability

Recognizing the reliance our customers place on us, we collaborate with global scientific communities to refine our software continually. Our commitment to precision ensures consistently accurate simulations that meet the highest standards of reliability.

Customer-Oriented

We prioritize comprehending our customers' distinct needs and deliver exceptional service with prompt support. Dedicated to ongoing enhancement, we refine our software and services to more effectively meet the evolving demands of our clientele.

Our nextnano Team


We are a well-established team committed to providing accurate and efficient simulation software for electronic and optoelectronic semiconductor devices. Our team is made up of experts in semiconductor physics and computer science who are dedicated to developing advanced simulation software tools for the semiconductor industry.


Stefan Birner

Dr. 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.

Herbert S. Mączko

Dr. Herbert S. Mączko

Operations Manager & Scientific Consultant

Herbert holds a degree of Doctor of Sciences in Physical Sciences earned at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology where he specialized on calculations of electronic band structures and optical gain spectra for quantum wells. Prior to joining nextnano in 2022, he worked as an Assistant Professor at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology where he was characterizing semiconductor materials by photoluminescence and photoreflectance and analysing results with help of numerical simulations. During his time at university, he was extraordinarily involved in teaching programming languages and in modelling semiconductor nanostructures.

Alex Trellakis

Dr. 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.

Oleg Yevtushenko

Dr. Oleg Yevtushenko

Research & Development Engineer

Oleg is a solid-state physicist born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. He holds a Master of Science Diploma in Solid State Physics from Kharkiv Polytechnic University and a PhD in Solid State Physics from the Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (IRE NASU). Over the years, Oleg has worked as a senior researcher at several renowned institutions and universities, including the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy; the University of Munich (LMU) in Germany; the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany; and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) in Germany. Oleg’s research interests and expertise include the physics of semiconductors, the theory of low-dimensional conductors (with a focus on electron interactions and disorder), the properties of topological insulators, and various aspects of quantum physics, such as quantum transport, quantum measurements, and quantum information. As a member of nextnano, Oleg is engaged in research and development related to such advanced topics as quantum transport and various semiconductor qubits.

Thomas Grange

Dr. 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.

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.

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.

Lucie Leguay

Lucie Leguay

Research & Development Engineer

Lucie holds a MSc in condensed matter physics and optics from Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in physics at Technische Universität Berlin under the Marie Curie program Quantimony. Her research focuses on the simulation and optimization of Sb-based semiconductor devices, with a particular emphasis on quantum dots and quantum rings. At nextnano, she is involved in developing the optimization module, nextnanoevo.

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..

Kaisei Furudate

Kaisei Furudate

Research & Development Engineer

Kaisei Furudate holds a BEng degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Tohoku University in Japan. He is currently studying toward his Master of Engineering. He is interested in semiconductor devices, nanotechnology and numerical modeling. At nextnano, he is doing an R&D research internship via the 1-year program “Vulcanus in Europa 2024-2025” of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation.

Former Employees

Former Team Members



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

Our History






2024

Due to our growing reputation in the field of nanoelectronics, nextnano participates in the new EU project “CHIPS of Europe”, focusing on educating students with the required semiconductor skills in the context of the European Chips Act.

COE

2024

To contribute to research in quantum optoelectronic devices, nextnano received a ZIM Feasibility Study grant from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK): “EnQuTech - SIMUVLED / Quantum Mechanical Simulation of UVC LEDs and Lasers”.

COE

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.

nextnano

2021

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

nextnano

2021

nextnano established nextnano holding GmbH to support its operations and strategic objectives.

2021

We obtained our fourth EU project, SIPHO-G, focusing on R&D of SiGe QCSE electroabsorption modulators.

SiPho-G

Learn more about SiPho-G

2020

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.

nextnano

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.

UltraFastNano SiPho-G

Learn more about UltraFastNano and QUANTIMONY

2017

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

FLASH

Learn more about FLASH

2015

nextnano relocates to the Garchinger Technologie- und Gründerzentrum (gate) in Garching b. München, a vibrant and collaborative working environment for start-ups located on the campus of the Technische Universität München to further enhance the development of the software.

nextnano

2012

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

nextnano

2024

Due to our growing reputation in the field of nanoelectronics, nextnano participates in the new EU project "CHIPS of Europe", focusing on educating students with the required semiconductor skills in the context of the European Chips Act.

2024

Due to our growing reputation in the field of nanoelectronics, nextnano participates in the new EU project "CHIPS of Europe", focusing on educating students with the required semiconductor skills in the context of the European Chips Act.

2024

Due to our growing reputation in the field of nanoelectronics, nextnano participates in the new EU project "CHIPS of Europe", focusing on educating students with the required semiconductor skills in the context of the European Chips Act.

2024

Due to our growing reputation in the field of nanoelectronics, nextnano participates in the new EU project "CHIPS of Europe", focusing on educating students with the required semiconductor skills in the context of the European Chips Act.

2024

Due to our growing reputation in the field of nanoelectronics, nextnano participates in the new EU project "CHIPS of Europe", focusing on educating students with the required semiconductor skills in the context of the European Chips Act.