Work

A high-resolution polarization-hyperspectral image sensor for complex intelligent sensing

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Light carries high-dimensional information such as spectrum and polarization, but conventional photodetectors measure only intensity, making snapshot acquisition of multiple optical dimensions difficult. Here, we report a multidimensional on-chip optical imaging (MOCI) architecture comprising three functional layers, including a multidimensional encoding layer to encode incident light, an image acquisition layer to collect coupled intensity measurements, and a computing layer to recover multidimensional images from a snapshot measurement. Following this architecture, we developed an on-chip polarization-hyperspectral imaging (PHI) sensor operating at 74 frames s−1 with 2048 × 2448 pixels, 61 visible-to-near-infrared spectral channels, and four polarization states. The sensor acquires spectral and polarization signatures simultaneously in complex environments, enabling polarization-enhanced hyperspectral imaging through haze, suppression of reflection and glare, and hyperspectral 3D modeling with normal and height maps. This compact, on-chip, and high-throughput sensor provides a route to integrated snapshot multidimensional imaging and machine perception under challenging optical conditions. This study reports a multidimensional on-chip optical imaging (MOCI) technique, and developed a polarization-hyperspectral imaging sensor, enabling robust joint polarization-hyperspectral imaging and intelligent sensing in complex environments.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76971-w