Source: Laserfair.com  11^th Dec 2025

Against the backdrop where high-end scientific instruments have long been monopolized by foreign players, Intelligent Scientific Systems (Beijing) Co., Ltd. has emerged triumphant as a game-changer.

Since its establishment in 2016, this hard tech enterprise specializing in optoelectronic detection technology has not only broken foreign technological blockades but also filled domestic gaps, relying on independently developed picosecond gated imaging and single-photon detection technologies. Its core products—the Zhuguang series of image intensifier cameras and single-photon cameras—feature picosecond ultra-high-speed shutters and zero-noise detection capability, acting as the critical eyes for major national scientific research projects such as fusion plasma research and combustion diagnosis of aerospace engines.

Recently, Fang Zhengjun, CEO of Intelligent Scientific Systems (Beijing) Co., Ltd., was interviewed by Laser Manufacture News, offering in-depth insights into the company's path to breaking the impasse and its grand blueprint. Faced with the era's opportunities for domestic scientific instruments, Intelligent Scientific Systems is leveraging bottom-layer innovation as its engine, aspiring to become a pioneer in the global field of high-end intelligent perception and inject strong momentum into the development of China's new-quality productive forces.

Laser Manufacture News: Good morning, Mr. Fang! It's a pleasure to have you with us for this interview. Since its establishment in 2016, Intelligent Scientific Systems has been dedicated to breakthrough optoelectronic detection technologies and achieved remarkable results in the R&D of new optoelectronic detection technologies. Looking back on nearly a decade of development, what do you consider to be the company's key development stages, and what were the most challenging difficulties you overcame? How have these experiences shaped the company's growth trajectory?

Mr. Fang: Our company has gone through two crucial phases of development. The first phase was the period of defining our corporate positioning and tackling core technological challenges. Right from the start, we made it clear that we would focus on breaking through the "gated imaging" technology, which was a critical bottleneck restricting China's scientific instrument industry. We prioritized serving major national strategic needs such as fusion plasma research and aero-engine combustion diagnosis, with the ultimate goal of achieving full independent control over underlying technologies.

This journey was fraught with enormous challenges: the R&D cycle was long, technological breakthroughs were highly uncertain, and we had to ensure the company's survival while pushing forward with innovation. Fortunately, the entire team shared a unified vision and recognized the significant social value of this endeavor. We worked together as one to overcome these difficulties, achieving continuous technological breakthroughs and forging a corporate culture characterized by resilience in the face of adversity.

A typical example is our external trigger synchronization controller with 25-picosecond jitter, which serves as the core control module of our cameras. It took us five years and more than ten iterations of design to reach an internationally leading level. After its launch, the product was quickly recognized by the scientific research market, with sales doubling for three consecutive years and helping customers publish hundreds of academic papers.

The second phase was our strategic expansion from scientific research to industrial applications. While scientific research instruments pursue ultimate performance, industrial applications demand products that are stable, user-friendly, and cost-effective. This required us to make "subtractions" on advanced technologies, optimizing and integrating them to address specific pain points in various application scenarios. This transition was no easy feat.

To tackle this challenge, we established a subsidiary called Insight Technology. This move enabled us to form a collaborative model where our Xi'an R&D Center focuses on breakthroughs in underlying technologies, while Insight Technology specializes in refining industry-specific solutions. This successful transformation unlocked the potential of gated imaging technology from laboratories to the broader industrial landscape, significantly expanding our company's development boundaries and future possibilities.

Laser Manufacture News: Currently, Intelligent Scientific Systems has built a dual-engine business structure of "scientific research + industrial applications" and achieved remarkable results in both fields. Could you elaborate on how this business structure was gradually formed and what advantages it brings to the company's development?

Mr. Fang: The true value of a technology lies in how many customer groups it serves and what problems it solves for them. We never confined our technology to a specific field arbitrarily; instead, we looked at society at large to identify pain points with existing technologies and drive technological innovation to address them.

During the R&D of gated imaging technology, while continuing to serve our scientific research customers, we actively explored pain points in existing imaging applications. These included issues such as smoke interference, intense light disturbance in welding scenarios, high-temperature radiation background interference in semiconductor crystal growth processes, through-window imaging, and underwater imaging. Traditional imaging technologies perform poorly or even fail completely in these situations, whereas gated imaging technology theoretically has the capability to overcome these challenges.

Historically, the widespread adoption of gated technology in industrial settings was hindered by high technical barriers, exorbitant prices of foreign products, and large equipment sizes. once we identified the right direction and recognized the immense value of this technology, we began sustained investment in 2021. After extensive verification of practical performance, the company's development prospects became even clearer.

Laser Manufacture News: As we understand it, Intelligent Scientific Systems recently completed a Series A funding round exceeding 100 million yuan. Could you share the reasons why these investors chose your company and what core strengths make you stand out to them?

Mr. Fang: First and foremost, Intelligent Scientific Systems has truly resolved critical bottleneck technology issues—our picosecond gated cameras and single-photon detection technology have reached world-class standards. To date, we have provided services to over a hundred research institutions, including major scientific facilities, and our product quality has gained widespread recognition. Secondly, our innovation model is also highly favored: we first focus on cutting-edge scientific research needs and continuously tackle underlying technological challenges, then we carry out technology transformation around pain points across multiple industries to amplify technological value. Investors fully recognize this closed-loop development path featuring research-driven innovation and industry-anchored implementation.

Laser Manufacture News: The over-100-million-yuan funds from this round will be mainly invested in R&D, scenario expansion and customer service. What strategic considerations underpin this capital allocation plan, and what progress has been made so far?

Mr. Fang: Empowering our partners to stand out from the crowd is one of the core values of Intelligent Scientific Systems. To achieve this, we must uphold technological innovation, identify and solve pain points in real-world scenarios, and at the same time strengthen support for our partners to help them create greater value. We have been following this investment principle all along. After completing this round of financing, we are even more committed to this strategic direction.

Laser Manufacture News: We learned that the company has launched a variety of products based on core technologies such as ultrafast time-resolved imaging and single-photon detection, including the Zhuguang IsCMOS image intensifier camera and Zhuguang 2DSPC single-photon camera. Could you elaborate on the core features, technical advantages and main application scenarios of these products?

Mr. Fang: In terms of underlying technologies, we have been pushing the limits of two physical parameters: the picosecond-level ultra-high-speed shutter and the single-photon sensitivity limit. Currently, our laboratory shutter speed has reached approximately 100 picoseconds, placing us in a leading position globally. Such high-speed shutters are of great significance for resolving transient physical processes (e.g., plasma evolution). The Zhuguang 2DSPC single-photon camera adopts our proprietary single-photon recognition algorithm, which can completely eliminate noise introduced by backend electronics to achieve true zero-noise detection, demonstrating significant advantages in ultra-weak signal scenarios. This technology has been widely applied in cutting-edge fields such as ion-trap quantum computing and the measurement of electron temperature and density in fusion plasmas (Thomson scattering).

Laser Manufacture News: Your products have not only ended the foreign monopoly but also filled the domestic technological gap. What was the biggest challenge during the R&D process? And how did you achieve technological breakthroughs and mass production?

Mr. Fang: We chose the gated imaging R&D path at the company’s inception precisely because this technology was a commercial blank in China, subject to foreign export controls, and we had an in-depth understanding of its application scenarios. once the direction was set, the biggest challenge actually boiled down to persistence—how to balance R&D investment and company survival when we were short on funds and equipment. In the face of these difficulties, the team’s mindset was crucial. Fortunately, the founding team are all long-termists. We were able to resist short-term temptations and stay focused, never compromising on product quality. Looking back, sticking to one thing for five years is not as hard as it seems.

Laser Manufacture News: Intelligent Scientific Systems has been continuously increasing investment in optical penetrating imaging technology and conducting multi-scenario tests. What is the current maturity level of this technology? What are your plans for new business expansion in the future?

Mr. Fang: We have been exploring the application of penetrating imaging technology for five years, going through the stages of principle verification, field testing, engineering prototype development, and product finalization. At present, our industry partners have launched mature products in fields such as handheld through-window imaging, fire-fighting smoke/flame penetration imaging, and traffic through-window snapshot imaging. The market response has been positive—we have already achieved small-batch deliveries this year, and some products have even been successfully exported overseas.

For molten pool monitoring cameras used in welding automation scenarios, we have also established close cooperation with several leading domestic welding robot companies. This year, we have carried out extensive field tests and verifications, and have also begun the product delivery phase.

The application fields of penetrating imaging are indeed very broad, but each scenario requires in-depth research and optimized design to ensure user-friendliness. We prioritize scenarios with clear market demand, and will gradually launch modules integrated with robots, quadruped robots, and UAVs based on market needs. We have been consistently investing in the exploration of new scenarios internally, such as underwater beyond-visual-range imaging and real-time monitoring of semiconductor crystal growth. We will roll out these products one after another once their maturity meets the required standards.

Laser Manufacture News: With the continuous advancement of science and technology, the field of optoelectronic detection technology is also evolving. What are your directions and goals in the exploration of new technologies? How do you maintain your acumen and competitiveness in emerging technology fields?

Mr. Fang: For the scientific research market, we adopt a direct sales model, with a professional team of sales and application engineers serving our scientist users directly. The needs and ideas of researchers often represent the cutting-edge of technological development. This direct engagement model enables us to maintain our sensitivity to new technologies and emerging demands.

In terms of new technology exploration, we will continue to develop detection technologies with higher temporal resolution. For fields such as fusion plasma research and quantum computing, the current product form factors may no longer be suitable in the future. Therefore, we will make early deployments and adopt chip-level solutions to improve signal acquisition and recognition speed, while significantly reducing product size.

Laser Manufacture News: Could you share in detail the key priorities for the company in core technology deepening and new product R&D over the next few years? What specific plans and target markets does the company have for expanding cutting-edge scientific research and key industrial application scenarios?

Mr. Fang: In terms of core technology deepening and new product R&D, first, we will continue to push the limits of temporal resolution. Second, we will develop proprietary gated detection chips to reduce product size and costs, and build volume production capacity, enabling gated technology to be applied in more scenarios. For cutting-edge scientific research fields, we will focus primarily on plasma, quantum computing, aero-engine combustion diagnosis, and optoelectronic performance testing of new materials. For industrial applications, we will gradually roll out solutions targeting through-window imaging, fire-fighting equipment, molten pool imaging for industrial automated welding, semiconductor crystal growth imaging, underwater imaging, and fog-penetrating monitoring.

Laser Manufacture News: Intelligent Scientific Systems upholds the corporate culture of Altruism for Long-term Success, with technological innovation as its core driving force. In future development, how will the company better integrate this corporate culture into daily operations and strategic decision-making to drive sustainable growth?

Mr. Fang: Corporate culture is the cornerstone of strategic execution. Strategy formulation must be guided by customer needs and pain points. We will establish in-depth collaborations with partners to achieve strategic synergy. In terms of R&D investment, we will prioritize addressing common industry challenges and improving social efficiency, rather than pursuing short-term profits. For critical decisions such as strategic investment, market expansion, and product pricing, we will conduct an altruistic value assessment: Do these decisions create long-term value for customers? Do they drive industry progress? This ensures a balance between short-term interests and long-term vision.

Laser Manufacture News: In your opinion, what are the current development trends in the optoelectronic detection technology industry, especially in the fields of ultrafast time-resolved imaging and single-photon detection technology? How will the company adapt to these trends for its development?

Mr. Fang: Optoelectronic detection has now become the primary sensing method, and imaging technology in particular is widely used in all aspects of society. I believe optoelectronic detection technology will surely unlock broader application scenarios in the future. Optical applications in dimensions such as wavelength (color), polarization state, and intensity are already very mature, but the potential of optics in the time dimension (temporal resolution) is far from being fully exploited—it was previously confined to basic scientific research scenarios. After years of exploration, Intelligent Scientific Systems has applied gated imaging technology to solve penetrating imaging problems across multiple scenarios, which has proven its enormous application prospects and commercial value. Moving forward, we will continue to deepen our efforts in gated imaging technology to address pain points across various industries, positioning ourselves as pioneers and leaders in sensing technology.

Laser Manufacture News: As an in-depth participant and leader in the industry, how do you view the current development status and future trends of China's high-performance scientific instrument and high-end intelligent sensing sectors? Against the backdrop of domestic substitution and the development of new-quality productive forces, what expectations do you have for Intelligent Scientific Systems and the industry as a whole?

Mr. Fang: As an in-depth participant in the high-performance scientific instrument and high-end intelligent sensing sectors, I believe China is now in a favorable development phase, entering a critical period of transitioning from the critical bottleneck predicament to independent leadership. The importance of scientific instruments to social development is self-evident. The government has introduced multiple policies to support the development of scientific instruments, and financial capital has also identified scientific instruments as a key investment direction. It can be said that we are experiencing an unprecedented golden era for the development of scientific instruments.

Domestic scientific instruments started relatively late, with a low localization rate. However, the domestic market is the world’s largest—this presents a tremendous era-defining opportunity for instrument practitioners. Guided by policies and customer needs, Intelligent Scientific Systems will continue to pursue underlying technological innovation, shifting from a "follower" to an independent innovator. Together with numerous entrepreneurs in the high-performance scientific instrument sector, we will drive the development of China’s scientific instrument industry.