Polarization image could reveal detailed information that is submerged in conventional intensity images. In order to obtain the polarization image of the target immediately, an integrated polarization sensor with real-time processing capability was constructed. The integrated polarization sensor composed of polarization-dependent module and processing unit. For modulate intensity, a kind of fabrication process based on ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) was proposed to integrate micro-polarizer arrays on packaged CMOS sensor. FPGA was used as processing unit to demodulate, reconstruct and display polarization image in real time. Considering the actual fabrication process, a calibration method based on discrete Fourier transform and relative entropy was proposed to improve the reliability of the sensor. The proposed calibration model has well versatility on various polarization devices. This article provided a cost-effective and compatible integration process for polarization image sensors.

The angle of the polarization (AOP) and the degree of polarization (DOP) of the scattered skylight are symmetrically distributed concerning the solar meridian. Based on the symmetry of the skylight polarization distribution pattern, this paper proposes a novel skylight orientation sensor consisting of a camera, an S-waveplate, and a linear polarizer. The skylight orientation sensor is using the image polarization encoding capability of the S-waveplate and the linear polarizer to convert the skylight polarization information into the image’s symmetry axis extraction, which has the advantages of simple structure, better real-time performance, no resolution loss and instantaneous field of view error. The symmetry axis in the image is consistent with the solar meridian. Therefore, the angle between the solar meridian and the skylight orientation sensor reference axis can be obtained without calculating the polarization information, which shows why the sensor has better real-time performance. The angle measurement accuracy and uncertainty of the skylight orientation sensor are verified by numerical simulation and outdoor experiments. The results demonstrate that the skylight orientation sensor has good application potential in autonomous navigation.

In order to achieve high-efficiency and high-precision fabrication of nanochannels in micro/nano-fluidic devices, a new method for integrating nano-imprint lithography manufacturing nano-channels and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannels with silicon nitride as a bonding layer is proposed. Nanoimprint technology has the advantages of high-precision replication of the template nano-groove size and the ability to form a large number of channels at one time. By depositing silicon nitride on the surface of the nano-trench to improve its bonding force with PDMS treated with oxygen plasma, the bonding strength can withstand pressures above 0.3 MPa. The accuracy of making nanochannels with a characteristic size of 100 nm in this solution can reach more than 95%. Fluorescence experiments using this device show that the device has better enrichment capacity, and its mechanism can be explained by the size exclusion enrichment effect.

Based on the navigation strategy of insects utilizing the polarized skylight, an integrated polarization sensor for autonomous navigation is presented. The polarization sensor is fabricated using the proposed nanoimprint photolithography (NIPL) process by integrating a nanograting polarizer and an image chip. The NIPL process uses a UV-transparent variant template with nanoscale patterns and a microscale metal light-blocking layer. During the NIPL process, part of the resist material is pressed to fill into the nanofeatures of the variant template and is cured under UV exposure. At the same time, the other parts of the resist material create micropatterns according to the light-blocking layer. Polymer-based variant templates can be used for conformal contacts on non-flat substrates with excellent pattern transfer fidelity. The NIPL process is suitable for cross-scale micro–nano fabrication in wide applications. The measurement error of the polarization angle of the integrated polarization sensor is ±0.2°; thus, it will have a good application prospect in the polarization navigation application.

Chiral metamaterials are extensively applied in the fields of photoelectric detection, biomedical diagnostics and micro-nano polarization imaging. Currently, single-layer chiral metamaterials are unfortunately limited by several issues, such as a weaker circular polarization extinction ratio and circular polarization transmittance difference. To tackle these issues, a single-layer transmissive chiral plasma metasurface (SCPMs) suitable for visible wavelength is proposed in this paper. Its basic unit is composed of double orthogonal rectangular slots and a spatial π/4 inclined arrangement of the rectangular slot to constitute a chiral structure. Each rectangular slot structure has characteristics that enable the SCPMs to easily achieve a high circular polarization extinction ratio and strong circular polarization transmittance difference. Both the circular polarization extinction ratio and circular polarization transmittance difference of the SCPMs reach over 1000 and 0.28 at a wavelength of 532 nm, respectively. In addition, the SCPMs is fabricated via the thermally evaporated deposition technique and focused ion beam system. This compact structure coupled with a simple process and excellent properties enhances its applicability for the control and detection of polarization, especially during integration with linear polarizers, to achieve the fabrication of a division-of-focal-plane full-Stokes polarimeter.