A 110 × 64 pixel CMOS image sensor integrated with pixelated spectral interference filters is used for image guided surgery. The sensor operates with short exposure times for capturing visible light using blue, green, and red pixelated interference filters, and long exposure time for capturing near-infrared fluorescence with a co-located, pixelated NIR filter. The sensor was used to successfully detect the fluorescence of ICG accumulation in sentinel lymph node on patients with breast cancer.

We have designed, fabricated, and tested a division-of-focal-plane polarimeter capable of simultaneously imaging both spectral and polarization information at 30 frames per second. The imaging sensor, composed of 1300 by 800 imaging elements, each containing three vertically stacked photodetectors, is covered by pixelated nanowire polarization filters at four different orientations offset by 45°. The polarimeter has a dynamic range of 62 dB and captures intensity, angle, and degree of linear polarization in three visible spectrum bands while consuming 700 mW of power.

Summary form only given. We have designed, fabricated, and tested a division-of-focal-plane polarimeter capable of simultaneously imaging both spectral and polarization information at 30 frames per second. The imaging sensor, composed of 1300 by 800 imaging elements, each containing three vertically stacked photodetectors, is covered by pixelated nanowire polarization filters at four different orientations offset by 45°. The polarimeter has a dynamic range of 62 dB and captures intensity, angle, and degree of linear polarization in three visible spectrum bands while consuming 700 mW of power.

A 220 by 128 current mode imaging sensor with polarization sensitivity is used to image intrinsic neural activity in vivo from the antenna lobe of a locust. The polarization sensitivity is achieved via post-CMOS fabrication deposition of pixelated aluminum nanowire polarization filters at four different orientations offset by 45 degrees. The measured change in polarization response from the neural cells baseline for hexanol is 0.38%, for octanol is 0.15%, and for the combined odor is 0.45%.

In this paper, we present recent work on bioinspired polarization imaging sensors and their applications in biomedicine. In particular, we focus on three different aspects of these sensors. First, we describe the electro-optical challenges in realizing a bioinspired polarization imager, and in particular, we provide a detailed description of a recent low-power complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) polarization imager. Second, we focus on signal processing algorithms tailored for this new class of bioinspired polarization imaging sensors, such as calibration and interpolation. Third, the emergence of these sensors has enabled rapid progress in characterizing polarization signals and environmental parameters in nature, as well as several biomedical areas, such as label-free optical neural recording, dynamic tissue strength analysis, and early diagnosis of flat cancerous lesions in a murine colorectal tumor model. We highlight results obtained from these three areas and discuss future applications for these sensors.

Polarization is a fundamental property of light for which humans have no innate detector. Numerous sensors have been devised to capture this property of light. Of these types of sensors, division of focal plane polarimeters allow for both high resolution and real-time capture of the angle and degree of polarization. This paper details a formal system of measurements designed to categorize the optical performance of one such sensor. Specifically, this paper details methods for evaluating the accuracy of both the degree and angle of polarization as functions of intensity, wavelength, and camera orientation for a division of focal plane polarimeter.

We will demonstrate the performance of an integrated CCD polarization image sensor. The polarization image sensor combines CCD imaging technology with aluminum nanowire optical filters monolithically at the focal plane. The image sensor computes polarization parameters of partially polarized light and presents this information to the end user in false color representation. The image sensor will demonstrate its capabilities in discriminating different materials based on the polarization signatures. The image sensor has a dynamic range of 65dB, signal-to-noise ratio of 60dB and power consumption of 280mW at 40 frames per second.