Oxford Instruments Plc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of high-technology products and systems to companies and scientific research communities. It operates through the following segments: Materials and Characterisation; Research and Discovery; and Service and Healthcare. The Materials and Characterization segment focuses on applied research and development and commercial customers which enables the fabrication and characterisation of materials and devices down to the atomic scale. The Research and Discovery segment offers advanced solutions that create unique environments and enable measurements down to the molecular and atomic level which are used in fundamental research. The Service and Healthcare segment includes customer service and support for the products and the service of third-party healthcare imaging systems. The company was founded by Martin Francis Wood and Audrey Wood in 1959 and is headquartered in High Wycombe, the United Kingdom.