SBIR Phase I: Innovative Design and Fabrication of Subwavelength Optical Polarimetry Array (SOPA) for Polarization Enhanced Imaging

SBIR一期项目是利用基于纳米压印光刻技术的纳米加工技术制造用于偏振增强成像的亚波长光学偏振阵列（SOPA）。偏振成像不仅可以提高成像质量，如对比度，还可以通过检测与偏振相关的反射或吸收来揭示物镜的化学性质。SOPA提供了一种新颖的方法来构建极低成本和快速响应的偏振成像仪。偏振成像仪可以通过在成像芯片前放置SOPA芯片或在同一芯片上在成像像素阵列上方制作SOAP来构建。在SOPA中，二维阵列中的每个像素在光电探测器前都有亚波长偏振器和波片的子像素，以检测不同的偏振。这些亚波长光学元件可以单片制造成一个大阵列，并且非常薄（200纳米- 300纳米厚）。由于使用SOPA的所有像素光电探测器同时以亚微秒的速度检测入射光，因此可以非常快速地获得偏振成像。具有SOPA的偏振成像仪具有其他现有偏振成像仪无法实现的许多独特功能和卓越性能，包括快速，宽波长范围（从紫外到远红外），低制造成本和片上集成兼容性。SOPA可以用来提高各种类型的光学成像仪的性能，从红外到可见光。其市场影响涵盖了许多成像仪应用，如CMOS相机、夜视、快速成像检测和用于客观识别的光谱分析。化学或生物材料检测和空间望远镜是额外的应用。由于SOPA技术可以实现低成本的快速偏振成像，因此带有SOPA芯片的成像仪可以进入以前无法承担高成本的偏振成像领域。这些领域包括用于安全监视的客观识别，汽车碰撞警告，以及特别重要的用于国土安全的便携式或手持式非接触式化学/生物危害探测器。

This SBIR Phase I project is to fabricate subwavelength optical polarimetery array (SOPA) for polarization enhanced imaging using nanofabrication technology based on nanoimprint lithography. Polarization imaging will not only enhance imaging quality such as contrast, but also reveal chemical property of objectives by detecting polarization dependent reflections or absorptions. SOPA delivers a novel way to build polarimetry imager with very low cost and fast response. Polarimetry imager can be built either by placing a SOPA chip in front of an imaging chip or fabricating SOAP above imaging pixel array on the same chip. In SOPA, each pixel in a 2D array has sub-pixels of subwavelenth polarizers and waveplate in front of photodetectors todetect different polarizations. These subwavelength optical elements can be fabricated monolithically into a large array and are very thin (200 nm - 300 nm thick). Since all pixel photodetectors using SOPA detect the incident light simultaneously and with a submicrosecond speed, polarimetry imaging is obtained very fast. Polarimetry imagers with SOPA have many unique features and superb performances that are unattainable with the other existing polarimetry imagers, including fast, wide wavelength range (from UV to far IR), low manufacturing cost, and onchip integration compatiblity.SOPA can be used to enhance performance of various types of optical imagers from infrared to visible. Its market impact covers many imager applications, such as CMOS camera, night vision, fast imaging detection and spectrum analysis for objective recognition. Chemical or bio-material detection and space telescope are additional applications. Since SOPA technology enables fast polarimetry imaging at low cost, imager with SOPA chip can go into fields that previously could not afford the high cost of polarimetry imaging. These fields include objective recognition for security surveillance, car-collision warning, and, especially important, portable or handheld noncontact chemical/bio-hazard detector for homeland security.