Invention:
Researchers at the University of Arizona have designed a sensor array with thick IR filters and micro-optics for use in a polarization and color camera. The camera is wide-angle and broad band, yet its design greatly reduces cross-talk between pixels and maintains high resolution.
Background:
Polarization imaging is key in fields like medicine, remote sensing, and materials science. An ideal system has an optical filter for high transmission, contrast, wide angle, and broadband image. But for infrared wavelengths, the filter can become very thick, making it difficult to have wide angle polarization detection.
Applications:
- Polarization imaging
- Reconnaissance
- Medical imaging
- Manufacturing inspection and quality control
Advantages:
- Small form
- Fast frame rate
- Measurement of full Stokes vector at different spectral bands
- Wide-angle
Status: issued U.S. patents #10,451,486 and #11,371,888
