China in optical fiber: Pang Zhongwang and young team how to rewrite the optical industry pattern
The optical probe with a diameter of only one thousandth of the hair can accurately identify defects of 0.3 microns, which is like finding a pepper on a football field. Behind this seemingly ordinary instrument is a breakthrough in optical technology that has lasted for many years.
“Science and technology are called science and technology only when they are in their own hands, otherwise they are the shackles in others’ hands.” Dr. Tsinghua Pang Zhongwang This sentence of the Chinese Academy of Optics reflects the aspirations of many researchers in the field of optics in China.
This young scientist, born in Cangzhou, Hebei in 1999, led a team Young people account for 65% Our team has broken the long-term monopoly of foreign countries in the field of micro nano optical detection, allowing Chinese high-end manufacturers to have their own “smart eyes”.
01 Dilemma: optical technology “choked”
High end optical detection technology has been monopolized by western countries for a long time, and the United States has listed such equipment 301 Before the embargo in the tariff list 。 Data shows that China spends more than US $8 billion on importing such equipment every year, which is not only costly, but also faces the risk of supply interruption at any time.
Before Pang Zhongwang’s team broke through the micro nano optical detection technology, the international market price of a model of detector was up to 3 million dollars. Imported equipment is not only expensive, but also inconvenient to maintain. The core technology is blocked against China.
An aerospace enterprise almost caused value due to insufficient accuracy of testing equipment 1.7 billion yuan satellite launch accident ； The engine blade inspection of the domestic large aircraft C919 had to be sent to Germany, and the cost of each inspection was as high as several million euros.
02 Breakthrough: nanometer level detection from zero to one
The intelligent optical detection system developed by Pang Zhongwang’s team has realized Diameter 0.3 μ m The ability to accurately identify defects. The key breakthrough of this technology is the combination of optical network information sensing technology and micro/nano optical detection. Through the precise analysis of optical signal fluctuations, nondestructive detection of material surface and internal structure is realized.
The “Time Shift Variance Estimation Algorithm” developed by the team reduces the time shift estimation error from 12.6ns to 1.8ns by introducing a dynamic variance threshold mechanism. This breakthrough has reduced the density of 5G base stations by 23%, saving more than 400 million yuan in tower rental costs every year.
The most amazing thing is that the team changed the cost of a certain type of detector from US $3 million dropped sharply to RMB 450000 So that more enterprises can afford such high-precision detection equipment.
03 Application: from aerospace to rural water supply
The technology of Pang Zhongwang’s team not only serves high-end manufacturing, but also is widely used in the field of people’s livelihood. The “portable water quality monitor” developed by them covers more than 200 villages in Hunan, Guizhou and other places, greatly improving the efficiency of water quality detection at the grass-roots level.
In the southwest mountainous area, the “optical fiber landslide early warning system” deployed by the team has successfully warned by analyzing the subtle changes in the optical cable transmission data 37 landslides , saving more than 2000 lives. The system has reduced the cost of geological hazard monitoring by 90% and has been applied to major national projects such as the Sichuan Tibet Railway.
At the automated terminal of Qingdao Port, the gantry crane with the mixed signal time delay estimation technology of the loading team realized the time delay control of 0.08 μ s, which improved the landing positioning accuracy of 40t containers to 99.97%.
04 Young team: “light catcher” of science popularization in the daytime and at night
At Pang Zhongwang’s research group 65% of the members born after 1998 。 These young people study quantum cryptography and other cutting-edge technologies in the laboratory during the day, and become “science bloggers” at night, making daily scientific research into vlogs and publishing them on the network platform.
The team has obtained three international patents, including a video introducing nano detection technology, which has been played more than 50 million times. Netizens praised and commented: “This is the most worth pursuing” hard core with goods “. What they bring is the most important tool of the country and shows the future of the nation.”
Innovation inspiration of team members often comes from daily life. Dr. Pang Zhongwang observed the water flow track when taking a bath, and suddenly thought of using light signal fluctuations to solve the problem of spatial positioning. This inspiration eventually gave birth to three national invention patents.
05 Future: Opportunities and Challenges for China’s Optical Industry
With the breakthrough of young scientists such as Pang Zhongwang, China’s optical industry is ushering in new development opportunities. The 28nm lithography machine of Shanghai Microelectronics has been delivered, and the 14nm technology is also close to landing. Pang Zhongwang participated in the “ultra precision machining technology”, which pressed the precision of key parts of the lithography machine to 5 nm, directly solving the neck jam problem.
However Challenges remain 。 Compared with the international top level, China still has a gap in optical materials, core components and other aspects. More original breakthroughs are needed to achieve a fully autonomous and controllable optical industry system.
Pang Zhongwang plans to continue to dig into “choke” fields such as optical fiber communication and chip manufacturing to focus on major national needs. He proposed that “science and technology can be called science and technology only when they are in their own hands”, emphasizing the urgency of independent innovation.