Giessibl studied physics from 1982 to 1987 at the Technical University of Munich and at Eidgenössische Technischen Hochschule Zürich. He received a diploma in experimental physics in 1988 with Professor Gerhard Abstreiter and continued with a PhD in physics with Nobel Laureate Gerd Binnig at the IBM Physics Group Munich on atomic force microscopy. After submitting his PhD thesis in the end of 1991, he continued for 6 months as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the IBM Physics Group Munich and moved to Silicon Valley to join Park Scientific Instruments, Inc as a senior scientist and later director of vacuum products from mid 1992 until the end of 1994. He joined the Munich office of management consulting firm McKinsey & Company from 1995 to 1996 as a senior associate. During that time, he invented the qPlus sensor, a new probe for atomic force microscopy and continued experimental and theoretical work on the force microscope at the chair of Professor Jochen Mannhart at University of Augsburg where he received a habilitation in 2001.

In 2005, he obtained offers for a chair at the University of Bristol (England) and University of Regensburg (Germany).^[1] In 2006, he joined the faculty at the Department of Physics at the University of Regensburg in Germany.^[2] From about 2005, he collaborated with the scanning tunneling microscopy groups of IBM Almaden Research Center and IBM Zurich Research Laboratory and from about 2010 with National Institute of Standards and Technology to help to establish combined scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy at ultralow temperatures. He was a visiting fellow at the center for nanoscience and technology (CNST) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and a visiting professor at University of Maryland, College Park from fall 2015 to spring 2016.

Some of Giessibl's experimental and simulated images inspired the offset print editions Erster Blick (2000) ^[3] and Graphit (2004) by visual artist Gerhard Richter.^[4]

Franz Giessibl is married and has two sons.

Giessibl established atomic force microscopy as a surface science tool with atomic resolution,^[5] launching the field of Non-contact atomic force microscopy. Together with his team, he even obtained subatomic spatial resolution (F.J. Giessibl, S. Hembacher, H. Bielefeldt, J. Mannhart, Science 2000),^{[6][7][8][9][10]} and published papers on ground breaking experiments,^[11][12] instrumentation^[13] and theoretical foundations^[14][15] of atomic force microscopy. Giessibl is the inventor of the qPlus sensor,^[16][17] a sensor for Non-contact atomic force microscopy that relies on a quartz cantilever. His invention has enabled atomic force microscopy to obtain subatomic spatial resolution on individual atoms and submolecular resolution on organic molecules. Today, the qPlus sensor is used in more than 500 commercial and homebuilt atomic force microscopes around the world.

• 1992: Built the first low-temperature force microscope for ultrahigh vacuum with Gerd Binnig (PhD adviser) and Christoph Gerber (F.J. Giessibl, C. Gerber, G. Binnig, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B 1991 and obtained atomic resolution on KBr with it (F.J. Giessibl, G. Binnig, Ultramicroscopy 1992). KBr has a very low reactivity, yet major challenges such as jump-to-contact of AFM tip and sample had to be overcome to obtain atomic resolution.
• 1992: Proposed a mechanism allowing atomic resolution in noncontact-AFM Phys Rev B 1992).
• 1994: Solved the problem of imaging reactive samples and obtained for the first time atomic resolution on Silicon 7x7 by force microscopy using frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy in noncontact mode with large amplitudes (Science 1995).
• 1996: Invented the qPlus sensor, a self sensing AFM quartz sensor that is self sensing (piezoelectric effect), highly stable in frequency and stiff enough to allow sub-Angstrom oscillation amplitudes (Patents DE19633546, US6240771, Appl. Phys. Lett. 1998).
• 1997: Introduces a formula that connects frequency shifts and forces for large amplitudes (Phys Rev B 1997).
• 2000: Obtains atomic spatial resolution using qPlus sensor (Appl. Phys. Lett. 2000).
• 2000: Observes subatomic resolution on tip features (F.J. Giessibl, S. Hembacher, H. Bielefeldt, J. Mannhart, Science 2000).
• 2001: Invents an algorithm to deconvolute forces from frequency shifts (Appl Phys Lett 2001.).
• 2003: Extended version of his habilitation thesis is published in Reviews of Modern Physics (RMP 2003).
• 2003: Obtaines atomically resolved lateral force microscopy (F.J. Giessibl, M. Herz, J. Mannhart, PNAS 2003).
• 2004: Achieves sub-Angstrom resolution on tip features using a qPlus sensor in a low temperature AFM using higher harmonic force microscopy (S. Hembacher, F.J. Giessibl, J. Mannhart, Science 2004).
• 2005–2008: Helps to spread out qPlus sensor technology to IBM Research Laboratories Almaden and Rüschlikon, leading to measurements of forces that act during atomic manipulation (M. Ternes, C.P. Lutz, C. Hirjibehedin, F.J. Giessibl, A. Heinrich, Science 2008) and single-electron charges on single gold atoms (Science 2009).
• 2012: Introduces carbon monoxide front atom identification (COFI), a method for the atomic and subatomic characterization of scanning probe tips (J. Welker, F.J. Giessibl, Science 2012).
• 2013: Observes evidence for superexchange interaction and very low noise data of exchange interactions between CoSm tips and antiferromagnetic NiO (F. Pielmeier, F.J. Giessibl, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2013).
• 2013: Observes atomic resolution in ambient conditions without special sample preparation (D. Wastl, A.J. Weymouth, F.J. Giessibl, Phys. Rev. B 2013).
• 2014: Measurement of CO-CO interactions by lateral force microscopy (A.J. Weymouth, T. Hofmann, F.J. Giessibl, Science 2014).
• 2015: Atomic resolution of few atom metal clusters and subatomic resolution of single metal atoms (M. Emmrich et al., Science 2015).
• 2016: Simultaneous inelastic tunneling spectroscopy and AFM (N. Okabayashi et al., Phys. Rev. B 2016), AFM with superconductive tips (A. Peronio, F.J. Giessibl, Phys. Rev. B 2016), Multifrequency AFM using bimodal qPlus sensors (H. Ooe et al., Appl Phys Lett 2016).
• 2018: Simultaneous inelastic tunneling spectroscopy and AFM shows bond weakening effect (N. Okabayashi et al., PNAS 2018).
• 2018: Joint study with John Sader group on well- and ill posed force deconvolution schemes (J. Sader, B. Hughes, F. Huber, F.J. Giessibl, Nature Nanotechnology 2018).
• 2019: Review article about qPlus sensors and applications (Review of Scientific Instruments 2019).
• 2021: Measurement of very weak bonds to artificial atoms formed by quantum corrals (Science 2021]).^[18]

• Giessibl, F.J.; Binnig, G. (1992). "Investigation of the (001) cleavage plane of potassium bromide with an atomic force microscope at 4.2 K in ultra-high vacuum" (PDF). Ultramicroscopy. 42 (5682): 281. doi:10.1016/0304-3991(92)90280-w.
• Giessibl, F.J. (1995). "Atomic Resolution of the Silicon (111)-(7x7) Surface by Atomic Force Microscopy" (PDF). Science. 267 (5194): 68–71. Bibcode:1995Sci...267...68G. doi:10.1126/science.267.5194.68. PMID 17840059. S2CID 20978364.
• Giessibl, F.J. (1997). "Forces and frequency shifts in atomic-resolution dynamic-force microscopy". Phys. Rev. B. 56 (24): 16010–16015. Bibcode:1997PhRvB..5616010G. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.56.16010.
• Giessibl, F.J. (2003). "Advances in atomic force microscopy". Rev. Mod. Phys. 75 (3): 949–983. arXiv:cond-mat/0305119. Bibcode:2003RvMP...75..949G. doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.75.949. S2CID 18924292.
• Hembacher, S. (16 July 2004). "Force Microscopy with Light-Atom Probes" (PDF). Science. 305 (5682): 380–383. Bibcode:2004Sci...305..380H. doi:10.1126/science.1099730. PMID 15192156. S2CID 6591847.
• Ternes, M.; Lutz, C. P.; Hirjibehedin, C. F.; Giessibl, F. J.; Heinrich, A. J. (22 February 2008). "The Force Needed to Move an Atom on a Surface" (PDF). Science. 319 (5866): 1066–1069. Bibcode:2008Sci...319.1066T. doi:10.1126/science.1150288. PMID 18292336. S2CID 451375.
• Gross, L.; Mohn, F.; Liljeroth, P.; Repp, J.; Giessibl, F. J.; Meyer, G. (11 June 2009). "Measuring the Charge State of an Adatom with Noncontact Atomic Force Microscopy". Science. 324 (5933): 1428–1431. Bibcode:2009Sci...324.1428G. doi:10.1126/science.1172273. PMID 19520956. S2CID 1767952.
• Weymouth, A. J.; Wutscher, T.; Welker, J.; Hofmann, T.; Giessibl, F. J. (June 2011). "Phantom Force Induced by Tunneling Current: A Characterization on Si(111)". Physical Review Letters. 106 (22): 226801. arXiv:1103.2226. Bibcode:2011PhRvL.106v6801W. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.226801. PMID 21702622. S2CID 16174307.
• Welker, J.; Giessibl, F. J. (26 April 2012). "Revealing the Angular Symmetry of Chemical Bonds by Atomic Force Microscopy". Science. 336 (6080): 444–449. Bibcode:2012Sci...336..444W. doi:10.1126/science.1219850. PMID 22539715. S2CID 206540429.
• Giessibl, F. J. (20 June 2013). "Seeing the Reaction" (PDF). Science. 340 (6139): 1417–1418. Bibcode:2013Sci...340.1417G. doi:10.1126/science.1239961. PMID 23788791. S2CID 36441856.
• Weymouth, A. J.; Hofmann, T.; Giessibl, F. J. (6 February 2014). "Quantifying Molecular Stiffness and Interaction with Lateral Force Microscopy" (PDF). Science. 343 (6175): 1120–1122. Bibcode:2014Sci...343.1120W. doi:10.1126/science.1249502. PMID 24505131. S2CID 43915098.
• Emmrich, M.; et al. (19 March 2015). "Subatomic resolution force microscopy reveals internal structure and adsorption sites of small iron clusters" (PDF). Science. 348 (6232): 303–307. Bibcode:2015Sci...348..308E. doi:10.1126/science.aaa5329. hdl:10339/95969. PMID 25791086. S2CID 29910509.
• Giessibl, F.J.; et al. (30 January 2019). "The qPlus sensor, a powerful core for the atomic force microscope" (PDF). Review of Scientific Instruments. 90 (1): 011101–1–59. Bibcode:2019RScI...90a1101G. doi:10.1063/1.5052264. hdl:10339/95969. PMID 25791086. S2CID 29910509.
• Huber, F.; et al. (12 September 2019). "Chemical bond formation showing a transition from physisorption to chemisorption". Science. 365 (6462): 235–238. Bibcode:2019Sci...365..235E. doi:10.1126/science.aay3444. PMID 31515246. S2CID 202569091.
• Stilp, F.; et al. (11 June 2021). "Very weak bonds to artificial atoms formed by quantum corrals". Science. 372 (6547): 1196–1200. Bibcode:2021Sci...372.1196S. doi:10.1126/science.abe2600. PMID 34010141. S2CID 202569091.

1. "Noncontact Atomic Force Microscopy". NanoScience and Technology. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 2009. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01495-6. ISBN 978-3-642-01494-9. ISSN 1434-4904.
2. "Noncontact Atomic Force Microscopy". NanoScience and Technology. Cham: Springer International Publishing. 2015. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-15588-3. hdl:11693/50865. ISBN 978-3-319-15587-6. ISSN 1434-4904. S2CID 92873134.
3. Gießibl, Franz J. (4 February 2022). Erster Blick in das Innere eines Atoms - Begegnungen mit Gerhard Richter zwischen Kunst und Wissenschaft (in German). ISBN 978-3-7533-0174-7.
4. Gießibl, Franz J. (8 February 2022). First View Inside an Atom: Encounters with Gerhard Richter Between Art and Science. Walther Konig Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7533-0188-4.

• 1994: R&D 100 Award (together with Brian Trafas)^[19]
• 2000: Deutscher Nanowissenschaftspreis^[20]
• 2001: Rudolf-Kaiser-Preis^[21]
• 2009: Karl Heinz Beckurts-Preis^[22]
• 2014: Joseph F. Keithley Award For Advances in Measurement Science of the American Physical Society^[23]
• 2015: Rudolf-Jaeckel Prize of the German Vacuum Society^[24]
• 2016: Foresight Institute Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology^[25]
• 2023: Innovation in Materials Characterization Award of the Materials Research Society (USA) ^[26]
• 2023: Fellow of the American Physical Society (USA)^[27]
• 2024: Heinrich Rohrer Medal - Grand Medal by Surface Science Society of Japan and IBM Research ^[28]

• 2010: Ehrenfest Kolloquium Leiden (27 October 2010) (Netherlands)^[29]
• 2013: Zernike Kolloquium Groningen (Netherlands)^[30]

• Mark Wendman nanoscience blog