Editorial

The workshop on “Highlights of Research in Nano-Scale Analysis in Germany” was held in Hamburg on 18–19 April 2002. The topics covered included magnetic-sensitive imaging at the nano-scale, microscopic characterization of semiconductor devices, near-field optical microscopy, nano-scale investigations of organic materials, nanomanipulation, novel probes, as well as metrology and quality assurance in nano-scale analysis. The following 12 selected papers provide an up-to-date overview of research activities in these fields as conducted by the German Center of Competence in Nano-Scale Analysis (CCN). The CCN was founded in 1998 by the German Ministry for Education and Research as a virtual network of 40 partners from universities, research centers and industry. Further information is provided on the web (www. nanoanalytik-hamburg.de).