text: The AFM-IR technique based on a pulsed infrared laser source was commercialized by Anasys Instruments, a company founded by Reading, Hammiche and Pollock in the United Kingdom in 2004; a sister, United States corporation was founded a year later. Anasys Instruments developed its product with support from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Science Foundation. Since free electron lasers are rare and available only at select institutions, a key to enabling a commercial AFM-IR was to replace them with a more compact type of infrared source. Following the lead given by Hammiche et al in 2001 and Hill et al in 2008, Anasys Instruments introduced an AFM-IR product in early 2010, using a tabletop laser source based on a nanosecond optical parametric oscillator. The OPO source enabled nanoscale infrared spectroscopy over a tuning range of roughly 1000–4000 cm or 2.5-10 μm.
  The initial product required samples to be mounted on infrared-transparent prisms, with the infrared light being directed from below in the manner of Dazzi et al. For best operation, this illumination scheme required thin samples, with optimal thickness of less than 1 μm, prepared on the surface of the prism. In 2013, Anasys released an AFM-IR instrument based on the work of Hill et al. that supported top-side illumination. "By eliminating the need to prepare samples on infrared-transparent prisms and relaxing the restriction on sample thickness, the range of samples that could be studied was greatly expanded. The CEO of Anasys Instruments recognised this achievement by calling it " an exciting major advance" in a letter written to the university and included in the final report of EPSRC project EP/C007751/1. The UEA technique went on to become Anasys Instruments' flagship product.