Chinese researchers have developed an on-chip integrated polarization photodetector (pol-PD), drawing inspiration from the unique polarization vision of desert ants.

The study, recently published in the journal Science Advances, was conducted by researchers from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (TIPC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Pol-PDs have widespread applications in geological remote sensing, machine vision and biological medicine. However, commercial pol-PDs usually require bulky and complicated optical components and are difficult to miniaturize and integrate.

The researchers observed that desert ants can navigate back to their nests across barren landscapes without landmarks, thanks to their compound eyes' ability to detect polarized sunlight. They aimed to mimic this capacity with their pol-PD.

The researchers proposed a one-step nanoimprinting crystallization method. They used this method to fabricate a high-crystalline perovskite, single-crystal-thin film with high-throughput, quadridirectional grating arrays. Based on this film, the researchers constructed a single-shot, on-chip pol-PD without any additional polarization optics.

According to Li Mingzhu, a researcher with TIPC, the nanoimprinting crystallization method provides a novel and universal solution for preparing patterned perovskite, single-crystal-thin films with high optoelectronic performance and superior light regulation capability.

This method makes it possible to use bio-inspired single-shot Pol-PDs to build a simple, cost-effective, highly sensitive polarization imaging system, she said.

It also offers a pathway for the development of highly sensitive, miniaturized, on-chip integrated polarization imaging systems, Li added. 

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