Light-powered innovation

Our mission is to benefit society through the development of technologies that capture, measure, and generate various types of light.

That's why we re-invest at least 9% of our yearly revenue into research and development - to maintain cutting-edge quality across 90 types of image sensors, light sources, components, and systems with capabilities that span the spectrum from x-ray to infrared.

Measuring and creating light

Our products

Sensors and emitters for visible and invisible light

We are one of the only companies in the world that develops a wide range of both light sensors, such as photomultiplier tubes and photodiodes, and light sources such as lasers, LEDs, and measurement lamps.

The components we manufacture measure and generate not only visible light, but also ultra-low, ultraviolet, infrared, and x-ray light.

Components, modules, and systems

Our light sensor and light source components are also available as modules and units with dedicated circuits. These devices can be incorporated into systems we develop, such as optical measurement systems, imaging systems, and image analysis systems.

These products are used in a wide range of applications, ranging from everyday technology like smartphones to measurement instruments that support cutting-edge academic research.

Expanding the spectrum of opportunities

Our contributions to a wide range of applications

Building partnerships to manufacture solutions

Our customization capabilities

Producing a wide range of customized products at your request

Customers face more than one issue for the products they desire, such as the required performance, operating environment, and size and shape. Our customization process starts with consultations with highly specialized engineers to identify the necessary specifications, from material selection to the initial design phase. We use our technologies and expertise to deliver a solution that meets your specific requirements.

  • Enabling a full scale of product production

    We own high-precision manufacturing technologies that require hand craftsmanship, as well as production lines that can manufacture small and large volumes. Our manufacturing technology and production capacity enables us to deliver what customers need, regardless of lot size.

  • Standardizing quality

    Our quality management system adheres to ISO9001. We also conduct industry-specific tests to ensure our products meet the requests and requirements of our customers.

Pursuing the possibilities of light

Our research

Generating knowledge through research

We established the Central Research Laboratory, Tsukuba Research Center, and Industries Development Center to explore light through basic and applied research.

Our collaboration with industries, government, and universities allow us to go beyond corporate boundaries and build cooperative relationships.

  • Optical information processing and measurement

    We are progressing step by step toward a new type of information processing through research into highly sophisticated light control and measurement on the spatial axis, time axis, and wavelength axis of light.

  • Health care and medicine

    In order to bring "true health" to all of us, we have continually applied a wide range of photonics technologies including PET applied research and biosensing into this field.

  • Biophotonics

    We have been continuously researching how biological phenomena interacts with light. Through understanding these mechanisms, we hope to create useful tools that will improve our lives.

  • Photonic materials

    We call the word nanophotonics to refer to this mutual interaction between light and matter and between light and electrons in the nano-region. We are constantly researching new materials that utilize this interaction between light and matter.

  • Energy

    To foster and develop new industries, we now aim to create them by utilizing light based primarily on research into laser fusion capable of extracting energy from hydrogen isotopes available in seawater.

Exploring the unknown

Our philosophy

The origin of Hamamatsu Photonics

"Try before you say you can’t."
Our success pioneering initiatives without precedent is the result of our determination to take on entirely new challenges in order to meet customer needs.

Building the impossible: How we made the world's largest photomultiplier tube

In 1979, Hamamatsu Photonics began development on a 25-inch diameter photomultiplier tube capable of observing proton decay at the request of professor Masatoshi Koshiba of the Faculty of Science at the University of Tokyo. At that time in the industry's history, development had only recently begun on 8-inch diameter tubes, so developing a PMT with a 25-inch diameter was beyond anyone's imagination. However, our former President Teruo Hiruma was undeterred: He decided we would "just try it anyway."

Development was an uphill battle with more than its fair share of trial and error, but our first prototype achieved an extraordinary accomplishment: It already cleared specification requirements.

Since then, we have continued to develop exciting innovations and establish leading expertise in the optical technologies industry. Our succcess stems from the spirit of Hamamatsu Photonics, demonstrated by the moment our engineers and manufacturers rose to President Teruo Hiruma's challenge to "just try" the impossible.

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Enabling groundbreaking discoveries

Our contributions to academic research

Related information

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