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The ATLAS and CMS Collaborations at CERN presented Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. with the 2026 Industrial Award on 15 July, recognising its pivotal role in developing and producing advanced technologies for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) upgrade. The award highlights the company’s contributions to key components such as the ATLAS Inner Tracker, CMS Outer and Inner Trackers, and the CMS High-Granularity Calorimeter. Hamamatsu Photonics has supplied approximately 1,000 metres of silicon wafers for these upgrades, underscoring its long-standing partnership with both experiments.

CMS Spokesperson Anadi Canepa emphasised the company’s sensor technology as a cornerstone of CMS, enabling over 1,500 scientific publications. ATLAS Spokesperson Stéphane Willocq noted the partnership’s foundation of mutual trust and technical excellence, which has been essential to the experiment’s success. Both collaborations highlighted the importance of this relationship as they prepare for the demanding High-Luminosity LHC era.

Achievements recognised include the development of high-quality p-type sensors for strip and pixel detectors, the first large-scale eight-inch production for pad sensors, and the manufacturing of novel low gain avalanche diodes and silicon photomultipliers. The company also provided significant support in the bump-bonding process, a critical step in detector assembly. These contributions have been integral to the scientific endeavour of both ATLAS and CMS.

ATLAS Upgrade Coordinator Benedetto Gorini described the ATLAS ITk upgrade as the most ambitious ever undertaken, with Hamamatsu Photonics playing a crucial role in sensor development and manufacturing support. CMS Upgrade Coordinator Frank Hartmann praised the company’s expertise and commitment, noting the timely delivery of over 800 square metres of silicon sensors across five technologies. Both coordinators underscored the indispensable nature of this partnership in realising the ambitious upgrades for the High-Luminosity LHC.