title: High-resolution thin "guest-host" micropolarizer arrays for visible imaging polarimetry.
abstract: We report a micropolarizer array technology exploiting "guest-host" interactions in liquid crystals for visible imaging polarimetry. We demonstrate high resolution thin micropolarizer arrays with a 5 μm×5 μm pixel pitch and a thickness of 0.95 μm. With the "host" nematic liquid crystal molecules photo-aligned by sulfonic azo-dye SD1, we report averaged major principal transmittance, polarization efficiency and order parameter of 80.3%, 0.863 and 0.848, respectively across the 400 nm-700 nm visible spectrum range. The proposed fabrication technology completely removes the need for any selective etching during the fabrication/integration process of the micropolarizer array. Fully CMOS compatible, it is simple and cost-effective, requiring only spin-coating followed by a single ultraviolet-exposure through a "photoalignment master". This makes it well suited to low cost polarization imaging applications.
authors: Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China. eexjzhao@ust.hk
authors: Xiaojin
authors: X
authors: Zhao
authors: Farid
authors: F
authors: Boussaid
authors: Amine
authors: A
authors: Bermak
authors: Vladimir G
authors: VG
authors: Chigrinov