RH/V ELECTRO-OPTICS, LLC
PLANE WAVE IMAGER
The Plane Wave Imager (PWI) replaces the lens with an array of evanescent couplers. It forms an image using the same light characteristics as a lens while enabling a compact, high-aperture imaging architecture.
A Different Approach to Imaging
A Plane Wave Imager (PWI) replaces the lens with an array of evanescent couplers. PWI forms an image using the same light characteristics as a lens.
In the illustration at the bottom, the PWI is covered with a protective plate. The green board under the PWI is display interface electronics and user controls.
PWI With a Waveguide Display
Here, a PWI is combined with a Waveguide Display to create a high power but very small telescope. The illustration shows birds at night being observed with a Short Wave Infrared, PWI imager.
Plane Wave Imager Arrays
Each PWI is small (about a square inch perhaps) in order to keep CMOS producibility high and cost low. An array of PWI creates a large optical aperture without needing to maintain precise alignment of the several different PWI.
At the bottom, several PWI can either provide a wide field of view or enhanced resolution of a narrow field of view.
Compact PWI Architecture
On the home page, four PWI are folded into a compact box. When unfolded, the optical aperture is about 4 square inches. The four PWI need not be precisely aligned.
How the PWI Pixel Works
Incoherent light interferes with itself, forming a co-sinusoidal intensity variation as the time delay between light streams varies. The phase variation across an array of light couplers depends on the angle of arrival of the light wave. Many light waves hit the PWI, and a Fourier Transform of the signal from many couplers forms the image.
PLANE WAVE IMAGER
The complete Plane Wave Imager research paper can be viewed below. Add the original client PDF using the PDF viewer plugin.