Colour-Coding 3D Light-Field Sensor

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Tianjin University have come up with a new light-field sensor which, they say, can create 3D images with an angular resolution as fine as 0.0018° — and can even extend into X-ray frequencies.

‘Currently, light-field detectors use an array of lenses or photonic crystals to obtain multiple images of the same space from many different angles. However, integrating these elements into semiconductors for practical use is complicated and costly,’ claims Liu Xiaogang, professor in the NUS Department of Chemistry. ‘Conventional technologies can detect light fields only in the ultraviolet to visible light wavelength range, leading to limited applicability in X-ray sensing.’ 

The team’s work, by contrast, extends its spectral response from 0.002nm to 550nm – meaning it can be used in X-ray imaging – and offers a wide angular measurement range over 80° with a resolution as fine as 0.0018° – enough to produce highly detailed 3D images across a wide portion of the light spectrum.