Yin graduated from Tsinghua University's radio electronics department. He studied glass-vacuum tubesolar collectors and energy-efficient film at the University of Sydney and the Chalmers University of Technology as visiting scientist during the 1980s and 90s.

Yin developed gradient aluminum-nitrogen/aluminumsolar selective absorbing coating in 1985. Single-cathode magnetron sputtering technology was applied. It was a ground-breaking move that realized superb performance and low cost. Yin headed and finished the national science and technology key project on glass-vacuum tubewater heater development and application. 

Yin was general manager of Beijing Huaye Electronic Engineering Co from 1988 to 1992. He has been engaged in scale production of all-glass evacuated solar collector tubes since 1993, and helped complete a production line with an annual capacity of seven million tubes in 1999. His contribution has played a role in conserving conventional energy resources, cutting pollution and increasing economic benefits. Yin was named a model worker on campus in 1980 and received multiple science awards from the Beijing government and the State Education Commission.

He won the gold prize at the 1986 national invention expo and gold-plated prize at the 15th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions in 1987. Yin's new selective absorbing coating and glass-vacuum tubesolar thermal collector won the third prize of national invention award in 1988 (the first inventor). Yin won the first prize of Beijing science and technology progress award (the fourth inventor) in 1995 and the first prize of science and technology progress award from the State Education Commission (the second inventor) in 1997. He was also named a national excellent science and technology worker in 1997. In 1999, he won the Nie Rongzhen Invention and Innovation Award. Yin has published more than 70 papers in China and abroad and five books, including All-Glass Evacuated Solar Collector Tubes.