On May 22, 2018, the national major scientific research equipment “High Performance Streak Camera” undertaken by XIOPM CAS passed the acceptance test. The successful acceptance of the project marks that we have entered into the practical level of high performance streak camera with independent intellectual property rights.

The streak camera is the only high-end scientific measurement and diagnostic instrument with ultra-high time resolution (ps-fs level) and high spatial resolution (micron μm level), which plays an irreplaceable role in the study of time-resolved ultrafast phenomena. The development of streak camera involves many disciplines such as optics, optoelectronics, ultra-fast electronics, microelectronics, precision machinery and computer. The starting point for its development is high and difficult and only a small number of units in China possess preliminary research and development capabilities at present. Since a very sensitive and cutting-edge technology is involved, the shareability of international academic research results and devices of streak cameras are of low degree and the foreign related technologies impose strict blockade on China and strict export control on streak cameras. Since Jan. 2012, with the support of CAS and Ministry of Finance, XIOPM CAS has launched the "Development of High Performance Streak Camera" project. By improving the three main technical indexes including time resolution, dynamic range and synchronizing frequency, the project solves various process problems and engineering implementation problems in the preparation process of the streak camera development. The short-magnetic focusing electron optical system design and the anisotropic focusing electron optical system are arranged in front of the traveling wave deflecting plate, and a series of breakthroughs in key technical fields such as high-performance photocathode fabrication process, vacuum transfer sealing process, ultra-fast ramp pulse generation circuit, and electronic pulse-time air conditioning system technology, as well as multiple innovative achievements have been made.

The successful development of the project has raised the level of precision measuring instruments in China, broken the international blockade, replaced imports and realized independent development and production of ultra-fast diagnostic related technologies and instruments. It has an extremely important strategic impetus to meet the needs of national major projects, national strategic high technology and cutting-edge science, and solves the dilemma of high-end scientific instrument of China’s streak camera.

Vice President of CAS and Member of the Party at CAS Zhang Tao fully affirmed the achievements of the project and extended his congratulations to the project team on their overcoming difficulties, braking through key technologies and processes, and completing the technical indicators with high quality. He emphasized the acceptance of the project means the start of a new work and we shall try harder to realize the industrialization of instruments as soon as possible so as to better serve the national frontier research and strategic high-tech needs. Cao Ning, the Deputy Director General of Bureau of Facility Support and Budget CAS, pointed out that the project team should make persistent efforts to make further breakthroughs of core key technologies, maintain the core competitiveness of instruments and equipment, and promote the application of instruments and equipment in related fields and boost the output of major scientific research results.