Atomic force and scanning probe microscope (AFM/SPM) maker Asylum Research says its orders for the third quarter are up more than 60 percent, driven largely by the introduction of a new high-resolution AFM, the popularity of two MFP-3D™ AFMs and the receipt of its first order from economic stimulus funds. Asylum said it set new records for both orders and shipments in its third quarter. One contributing factor was its recently introduced Cypher™ system, which the company says offers the highest resolution AFM available and is the first new small sample AFM/SPM available on the market in more than 10 years. Orders also surged for its MFP-3D-BIO, which mounts on an inverted optical microscope platform for bioscience applications, and its MFP-3D standalone AFM, which integrates with most commercially available inverted optical microscopes for physical and materials science applications. Asylum also announced that it received its first order funded under a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) from Purdue University, and that it expects significant orders in Q4 and throughout 2010 due to the ARRA and other global economic stimulus programs. "With the full impact of the US stimulus funds yet to be seen – and record numbers of pending quotes to high-quality researchers – we're expecting that our Q3 results are a harbinger of more records to come," said John Green, executive vice president of sales. "...the future looks very bright indeed. This is an exciting time for Asylum Research," said Dr. Jason Cleveland, Asylum Research CEO. For more information, visit: www.asylumresearch.com