CSE 564: Advance Digital Systems Engineering

Polarization Imaging Sensors

Instructor: Dr. Viktor Gruev

Email: vgruev@wustl.edu
Overview: Properties
p of Light
g

Transverse EM wave:

Intensity I
E
Ex Ey
Wavelength 

Polarization Vector E

E  Ex  Ey 
E
 xˆ Ex cos(  x )  yˆ E y cos(   y )
 Polarization of Light
g
Linear Circular Partially Linear
 Polarization of Light
g

• The First three Stokes equations fully describe the polarimetric properties of light:

S0  E S1  E (0o )  E (90o ) S 2  E (45o )  E ( 45o )

S12 + S22
Degree of Linear Polarization = S0

tan -1 ( S2 / S1 )
Angle of Polarization =
2
What can p
polarization be used for?
• Shadow removal and finger print detection
• Navigation using the skyline
• Dehazing of images

Reference Camera

Angle of polarization
in pseudo-color
p

Data taken with 3 CMOS camera + pol. filter

 Previous work
• Recovering polarization with a CCD/CMOS
Imager and polarization wheel or SLM.
• Temporal resolution problems

• Integrated polarization imaging sensors:

• Combine
C bi micropolarizaiton
i l i i fil
filters with
i h CMOS iimagers.
• Limited resolution (10 x 10 pixel arrays)
• Limited SNR (less than 35dB)
• Limited DR (less than 40dB)
• Limited extinction ratios (~4 to 5)
• Limited polarization information (bio inspired sensors)
 How does color camera work?
• Division
Division-of-Time
of Time Color Camera

Blue filter Imaging Sensor

N filt
No filter

Green filter
Red filter

• Can we build a polarization camera similar to this type of

color camera?
 Division-of-Time
Division of Time Polarimeter
Scene

Linear
Normal Polarizer
Camera

Intensity 0 degree 45 degree

Image Image I
Image
Division-of-Amplitude
C l C
Color Camera
Division-of-Amplitude
Division of Amplitude Polarimeter
Scene

Intensity
Image

Prism

45 degree
Image

0 degree
Image
 Division-of-Plane
C l C
Color Cameras

Bayer Color Pattern

Can we use this method to construct a polarization camera?

Custom
C t IImager with
ith Focal
F l
Plane Processing
Imager
g Overview

Custom Imaging Sensor Architecture

 Fabrication of Thin-film
Mi
Micropolarizer
l i A
Array
• Polymer thin
thin-film
film micropolarization array
• Extenction ration of polymer polarization filter:
• 50 in red spectrum and 80 in green and blue spectrum
 Fabrication of Polymer
Mi
Micropolarization
l i ti A Array

Gruev et. al, Optics Express 2007

 Two Layers
y PVA

45 degree
0 degree
polarization light
polarization light
p g

Gruev et al., Optics Express 2007

Image Sensor With
P l
Polymer Filt
Filters
Optical
p Performance
Results from Polarization
Imager

Intensity Image
Recorded with CCD

0 degree 45 degree No filter

pixels pixels pixels
 Results from Polarization
Imager

Degree of Polarization Angle of Polarization

 Polarization Based
Cl
Classification
ifi ti off M
Materials
t i l

Material Brewster Angle Brewster Angle

(theoretical value) (experimental value)
Fused
F d Sili
Silica 55o 54 2o+/-0.8
54.2 +/ 0 8o
Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) 56.2o 57.5o+/-0.3o
Silicon 74o 73.8o+/-1.4o
Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) 73.7o 70.5o+/-1.1o
Silicon Carbide (SiC) 68.9o 69.8o+/-0.9o
 Polarization Imager
g Summary
y
CMOS Imager Micro Polarizer Arrayy
Technology 0.18m 6M1P
Technology Polymer: PVA
# of Transistors ~1M
Array Size 128 x 128
Array Size 128 x 128
# of orientations 0 and 45 degree
Pixel Size 18m x 18m
Pixel Size 18m x 18m
Fill Factor 40%
Extinction Ratio ~15 @ 500nm
FPN 0.4% of sat. level
~12 @ 700nm
Dynamic Range 1-200W/cm2
Transmission 86% @ 500nm
Frame Rate 1fps-200fps Parallel 86% @ 700nm
Computation 8 bits
Transmission 5% @ 500nm
Precision
Cross 3% @ 700nm
Power Cons
Cons. 50mW
Imaging
g g Sensor Limitations

Tall polymer polarization filters limit the incident angle

Polarization Image Sensor with
Aluminum Nanowire Filters
Imager
g Overview
Interference lithography
g p y
Metallic Nanowire Polarization Filter

E-beam lithography and nanofabrication: Thanks to Raphael and Shenqkui

performed at WashU Nanofabrication facilities and at UCSD Nanofab
Measurements of Polarization
Filt A
Filter Array
CCD Polarization Imager
g

Weight 0.3lb
Optics C-mount
Sensitivity 420nm-1000nm
Resolution 1 Mega pixel
Pixel size 7.4 microns
Example
p from Polarization CCD
Real-time Imaging of
Polarization

Gruev et al., Optics Express, August 2010

Applications for Real-time
Polarization Imaging
g g
Polarization Based Classification of
M t i l
Materials
Polarization
camera

Material Brewster Angle Brewster Angle

(theoretical value) (experimental value)
Fused Silica 55o 54.2o+/-0.8o
Polymethyl Methacrylate 56.2o 57.5o+/-0.3o
(PMMA)
Silicon 74o 73.8o+/-1.4o
Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) 73.7o 70.5o+/-1.1o
Silicon Carbide (SiC) 68.9o 69.8o+/-0.9o
3-D
3 D Shape Reconstruction

Left – Reconstructed Shape, Right – Degree of Polarization

 Polarization Examples:
Air to Air Image Enhancement

Yellow circle is the area where the Cessna 172 target plane is located

Reference Camera Angle of polarization in pseudo-color

Polarization Imaging Sensors

Polarization Imager
g Summary
y
Number of Pixels 1000 X 1000
Pixel pitch 7.4m x 7.4m
Frames per second 40
Saturation signal
g 20,000e-
Sensitivity 30V/e-
Quantum Efficiency at 540nm 37%
Readout Noise 16 electrons
Dynamic Range 65dB
Signal to Noise Ratio 40dB
FPN (without pol. filters) 1.9% of saturated level
FPN with pol. filters for 0o 2.4%
Extinction Ratios at 700nm for 0o 58
Power Consumption 280mW