Integrated imaging linear polarimeter

The polarimetric vector is a more general descriptor of light than intensit y information alone, and it contains physical information about the imaged objects in a scene that traditional intensity based sensors ignore. Polarim eters-devices that measure polarization-are used to extract physical featur es from an image such as specularities, occluding contours, and material pr operties. Scientists use polarization information to perform difficult task s such as image segmentation and surface reconstruction, object orientation , material classification, atmospheric and solar analysis. We will present an integrated CMOS sensor/imager that uses a unique polymer-based polarizin g filter to sense two orthogonal directions of linear polarization. The CMO S imager uses analog translinear circuitry to compute, in real-time on the focal-plane, polarization contrast: a measure of the orientation and degree of linear polarization in an imaged scene. We will present the microfabric ation technique that enables us to apply CMOS fabrication technology to bul k manufactured poly(vinyl alcohol) linearly polarizing films. This techniqu e allows us to define lithographically micron-scale linearly polarizing reg ions in polymer-based polarizing filters in order to make a high resolution polarization contrast imager. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.