Series of reports on the forefront of spectrometer technology and its application expansion
Release Time:
2025-12-19 15:10
Recently, several domestic enterprises and research institutions have released new core components for spectrometers. This report focuses on breakthroughs in domestically produced high-resolution gratings, InGaAs detectors, and quantum cascade lasers, analyzing how these advancements reduce reliance on imported supply chains and promote the large-scale application of domestically produced spectrometers in fields such as industrial testing and environmental monitoring. The article will interview industry experts to discuss the opportunities, challenges, and future market landscape of domestic production.
In a cleanroom in Yizhuang, Beijing, engineers are conducting final tests on a batch of miniature near-infrared spectral modules ready for delivery. These black modules, no bigger than a fingernail, will soon be integrated into the production lines of hundreds of food companies across the country for real-time monitoring of raw material composition. Just five years ago, these core sensors were almost entirely dependent on imports.
This is just one example. Recently, China has made a series of breakthroughs in the field of core components for spectrometers, and a domestic spectrometer industry chain driven by "Chinese chips" is taking shape, beginning to challenge the high-end market long monopolized by European and American giants.
Breakthrough: Achieving Independent Control of Three Core Components
The accuracy and performance of a spectrometer largely depend on its "heart" and "eyes"—namely, the grating, detector, and light source. In the past, these high-end components were monopolized by a few companies in Japan, Germany, and the United States, resulting in high prices and supply often affected by fluctuations in international relations.
This situation is being reversed:
"Spectral rulers" etch precision in China: A subsidiary of the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics has successfully mass-produced holographic concave gratings suitable for laser Raman spectrometers, achieving a resolution of 0.5 cm⁻¹, reaching international first-class levels. These gratings act as "precision rulers" for the spectrometer, directly determining the subtlest spectral differences the instrument can resolve. The company's head stated, "We have achieved complete self-sufficiency across the entire chain, from design and master die marking to mass production, with annual production capacity meeting more than half of the high-end scientific research needs in China."
Detectors are no longer a bottleneck: Indium gallium arsenide (IGaAs) detectors, crucial in the near-infrared spectroscopy field, have long relied on imports from France and Japan. In the first half of this year, a Wuhan-based semiconductor company announced that its independently developed room-temperature operating InGaAs linear array detector had achieved mass production, with key performance parameters (such as dark current and response uniformity) on par with mainstream imported products, while reducing costs by approximately 30%. This has cleared the biggest obstacle to the large-scale popularization of domestically produced near-infrared spectrometers.
Achieving "Chinese Wavelengths" in Laser Light Sources: A team at the Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made progress in quantum cascade lasers, with its customized products covering a wider mid-infrared "fingerprint spectrum." This type of laser source is core to high-end gas analyzers and precision testing equipment, previously entirely dependent on imports from the United States and subject to strict export controls. This breakthrough in domestically developed light sources means that my country has the potential to independently define detection capabilities in the development of high-end instruments for environmental monitoring, chemical safety, and other fields.
Penetration: From Substitution to Innovation, Domestic Instruments Gain a Foothold
Breakthroughs in core components have directly driven a leap in the overall performance and competitiveness of the instruments.
"In the past, purchasing an imported high-end Fourier transform infrared spectrometer cost nearly one million RMB, with a delivery cycle of up to six months, and maintenance was expensive and inconvenient," Manager Wang of the equipment purchasing department of a large domestic petrochemical company told reporters. "Now, the price of domestically produced instruments of the same level is only half that of imports, service response is measured in hours, and they are better at customized detection algorithms for the characteristics of domestic oil products."
The rise of domestic spectrometers has a clear path: accumulating technology and reputation in the low-to-mid-end market, and gradually penetrating the high-end scientific research and industrial markets. In industrial settings: Domestically produced online process spectrometers are widely used in pharmaceutical, chemical, and new energy battery production processes, enabling real-time quality monitoring.
In scientific research: Although top laboratories still prefer imported brands, the proportion of domestically produced spectrometers in many key projects and university procurements has significantly increased, demonstrating their flexibility, especially in projects requiring customization and special environments.
In emerging markets: In the currently booming fields of lithium battery testing, semiconductor material analysis, and biopharmaceutical R&D, domestic manufacturers are collaborating with downstream customers, resulting in faster development and differentiated competitiveness.
Challenges and Prospects: A Protracted Technological Ecosystem Battle
Despite the positive momentum, industry insiders generally believe that the full rise of domestically produced spectrometers remains a "protracted war" requiring patience.
Liu Changkuan, Secretary-General of the Analytical Instruments Branch of the China Instrument and Control Society, pointed out: “We have achieved remarkable results in ‘single-point breakthroughs,’ but there are still gaps in ‘system integration’ and ‘brand accumulation.’ A top-tier spectrometer is the ultimate fusion of precision optics, mechanical electronics, software algorithms, and applied knowledge. Domestic instruments need to continue to refine their reliability, long-term stability, and versatility in handling extremely complex samples.”
Furthermore, the development of software and database ecosystems is another weakness. Many imported instruments have the advantage of decades of accumulated spectral databases covering massive amounts of standard materials and powerful analytical software. Domestic manufacturers are accelerating their catch-up through new methods such as collaborative construction, open-source communities, and artificial intelligence-generated spectral data.
Market research firm “Zhiyan Consulting” predicts that by 2027, the localization rate of the Chinese spectrometer market is expected to increase from the current approximately 35% to over 50%, with domestically produced equipment becoming the absolute mainstream in areas related to people's livelihoods such as environmental monitoring and food safety.
Conclusion: From being dependent on others to independent research and development, the breakthrough path of domestically produced spectrometers is a classic cross-section of the development of China's high-end scientific instrument industry. It is no longer merely a "cheap alternative" to imported products, but is reshaping the market landscape with a faster pace of innovation and solutions that are closer to local needs. This transformation driven by "Chinese chips" ultimately aims not only at market share, but also at providing scientists and engineers in China and around the world with more diverse and powerful tools to explore the unknown world.
Recommended News
1206, Building A, Fudi International, Jianxi District, Luoyang City, Henan Province
You are a reliable and trusted metal analysis service provider
Copyright © 2024 Luoyang Yuboo Testing Technology Co., Ltd All rights reserved. Exhibitions
SAF Coolest v1.2 设置面板 TAJSX-AGYW-ZASAE-ZFW
无数据提示
Sorry，当前栏目暂无内容！
您可以查看其他栏目或返回 首页
