Data-driven polarimetric imaging: a review

This study reviews the recent advances in data-driven polarimetric imaging technologies based on a wide range of practical applications.The widespread international research and activity in polarimetric imaging techniques demonstrate their broad applications and interest.Polarization information is increasingly incorporated into convolutional neural networks(CNN)as a supplemental feature of objects to improve performance in computer vision task applications.Polarimetric imaging and deep learning can extract abundant information to address various challenges.Therefore,this article briefly reviews recent developments in data-driven polarimetric imaging,including polarimetric descattering,3D imaging,reflection removal,target detection,and biomedical imaging.Furthermore,we synthetically analyze the input,datasets,and loss functions and list the existing datasets and loss functions with an evaluation of their advantages and disadvantages.We also highlight the significance of data-driven polarimetric imaging in future research and development.

Polarizer-free polarimetric image sensor through anisotropic two-dimensional Ge Se

Light polarization could provide critical visual information(e.g., surface roughness, geometry, or orientation) of the imaged objects beyond prevailing signals of intensity and wavelength. The polarization imaging technology thus has a large potential in broad fields such as object detection. However, intricate polarization coding is often required in these fields, and the existing complicated lensed system and polarizers have limited the miniaturization capabilities of the integrated imaging sensor. In this study, we demonstrate the utilization of two-dimensional(2 D) in-plane anisotropic α-Ge Se semiconductor to realize the polarizer-free polarization-sensitive visible/near-infrared(VIS-NIR) photodetector/imager. As the key part of the sensor system, this prototype Au/Ge Se/Au photodetector exhibits impressive performances in terms of high sensitivity, broad spectral response, and fast-speed operation(~10^(3) A W^(-1), 400–1050 nm,and 22.7/49.5 μs). Further, this device demonstrates unique polarization sensitivity in the spectral range of 690–1050 nm and broadband absorption of light polarized preferentially in the y-direction, as predicted by the analysis of optical transition behavior in α-Ge Se. Then we have successfully incorporated the 2 D Ge Se device into an imaging system for the polarization imaging and captured the polarization information of the radiant target with a high contrast ratio of 3.45 at808 nm(NIR band). This proposed imager reveals the ability to sense dual-band polarization signals in the scene withoutpolarizers and paves the way for polarimetric imaging sensor arrays for advanced applications.

Precision integration of grating-based polarizers onto focal plane arrays of near-infrared photovoltaic detectors for enhanced contrast polarimetric imaging

Polarimetric imaging enhances the ability to distinguish objects from a bright background by detecting their particular polarization status,which offers another degree of freedom in infrared remote sensing.However,to scale up by monolithically integrating grating-based polarizers onto a focal plane array(FPA)of infrared detectors,fundamental technical obstacles must be overcome,including reductions of the extinction ratio by the misalignment between the polarizer and the detector,grating line width fluctuations,the line edge roughness,etc.This paper reports the authors’latest achievements in overcoming those problems by solving key technical issues regarding the integration of large-scale polarizers onto the chips of FPAs with individual indium gallium arsenide/indium phosphide(In Ga As/In P)sensors as the basic building blocks.Polarimetric and photovoltaic chips with divisions of the focal plane of 540×4 pixels and 320×256 superpixels have been successfully manufactured.Polarimetric imaging with enhanced contrast has been demonstrated.The progress made in this work has opened up a broad avenue toward industrialization of high quality polarimetric imaging in infrared wavelengths.

Polarimetric Laser Range-Gated Underwater Imaging

For conventional laser range-gated underwater imaging （RG[） systems, the target image is obtained based oil the reflective character of the target. One of the main performance limiting factors of conventional RGI is that, when the underwater target has the same reflectivity as the background, it is difficult to distinguish the target from the background. An improvement is to use the polarization components of the reflected light. On the basis of conventional RGI, we propose a polarimetric RGI system that employs a polarization generator and a polarization analyzer to detect and recognize underwater objects. Experimental results demonstrate that, by combining polarization with intensity information, we are better able to enhance identification of the underwater target from other objects of the same reflectivity.

Flexible high-resolution thin micropolarizers for imaging polarimetry

More durable[with high impact force],lighter,and more compact flexible azo dye micropolarizers are attractive candidates for low-cost,simple polarization imaging systems.The liquid crystal polymer[LCP],as an emerging material developed by photo-alignment technology,is a potential material for organizing the long-range ordered structure of azo dyes.However,little research has been done on LCP aligned azo dyes.This paper points out and solves a key problem that restricts the fabrication of high-precision arrays in guest[azo dye]-host[LCP]systems:the doping of dyes leads to disorder of the LCP during curing.After solving the problem,the relationship between the thickness of the LCP and the extinction ratio of the polarizing film was investigated,which effectively improved the extinction ratio.Alignment of azo dye molecules in the range of 2μm[0°-180°]and arrays of micropolarizers[0°,45°,90°,-45°]with 8μm×8μm pixel pitch was achieved by laser direct writing technology.The bending cycle test demonstrates the mechanical stability of the ultrathin flexible polarizer.The flexible patterned polarizer with robust chemical and mechanical stabilities provides a flexible way to capture the polarization of the light and highly integrated advanced flexible optoelectronic devices.

Hybrid calibration method of a wide-view-angle Mueller polarimeter for hyper-numerical-aperture imaging systems

Polarization aberration of hyper-numerical-aperture projection optics should be measured accurately in order to control it exactly and ensure favorable imaging performance.A hybrid calibration method combining the Fourier analysis method and the eigenvalue calibration method is proposed.A wide-view-angle Mueller polarimeter(WMP)is exemplified to demonstrate the capability of the proposed calibration method,which can calibrate the polarimeter and determine the error budget of polarizing elements in the polarimeter.In addition,an experimental setup and a WMP are developed in-house to implement the hybrid calibration method.