Hamamatsu Photonics UK, the UK leader in optoelectronics announced it is celebrating over 20% growth in the team in the past year, alongside two birthdays – the 35th of the UK company and the 70th of the global parent.
Hamamatsu Photonics UK is continuously growing. From humble beginnings with just 6 people, it appointed its 61st member of staff in December.
One of the company’s key capabilities is in LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), using light to measure distance. This has many applications within industry, though most commonly in Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), factories or industrial robotics in warehouses. It can also be used for mapping or scanning to produce an accurate 3D representation of large areas.
Providing real time feedback with high positional accuracy, LiDAR is also a key component of many health and safety systems, for example in construction sites to measure distances between workers and large machines or in remote operation of heavy machinery (anti-collision).
The company produces a wide range of detectors, from photodiodes with a high dynamic range, to Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) and SPAD arrays, with high signal to noise ratio due to inherent gain of the order of up to 106. Hamamatsu Photonics also produces Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) which are muti-pixel APD devices operating in Geiger mode to achieve this high level of gain.
These devices are known as Multi Pixel Photon Counters, or MPPCs and they are currently used worldwide for a variety of low light level applications such as automotive, wind LiDAR, factory automation and fundamental research. Hamamatsu’s MPPC technology also has very low crosstalk, low after-pulses and high speed which ensures high measurement accuracy.
The global company has been exploring the possibilities of light since the mid-1950s, when, under the name of Hamamatsu TV Co, it manufactured phototubes that converted light into electrical signals. In 1983, it adopted the name Hamamatsu Photonics and broadened its aim to further develop opto-electronic technology.
Hamamatsu invests over 9% of its annual revenue into R&D. It is a world-leader in the manufacture of optoelectronic components and systems. The company’s corporate philosophy stresses the advancement of photonics through extensive research. Our products provide solutions for a wide variety of applications including analytical, consumer, industrial and medical instrumentation.
Tim Stokes, Managing Director of Hamamatsu Photonics UK, said: “This is a fantastic year as we celebrate our 35th birthday with 20% growth in our team and the appointment of our 61st staff member. We are expanding our capabilities by attracting more highly skilled engineers, enabling us to pursue the possibilities of light in a number of industries.
“The photon is our business, and we are harnessing it for our customers in optical information and processing, health care and medicine, biophotonics and energy. We will continue to forge a path in light research and its varied applications.”
You can find out more about Hamamatsu UK by visiting www.hamamatsu.co.uk.
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