“Ultra-miniature lensless computational imagers and sensors using optics for computing and computing for optics”

Nuclear and Plasma Science Society (NPSS) and co-sponsoring Photonics Society

Hosted by Professor Lei Tian (leitian@bu.edu), Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE), Boston University

Sponsored by Professor Min-Chang Lee (mclee@bu.edu) of ECE Boston University, IEEE Boston NPSS Chapter Chair.

David G. Stork – Rambus Labs

We describe a new class of computational optical sensors and imagers that do not rely on traditional refractive or reflective focusing but instead on special diffractive optical elements integrated with CMOS photodiode arrays. The diffractive elements have provably optimal optical properties essential for imaging, and act as a visual chirp and preserve full Fourier image information on the photodiode arrays. Images are not captured, as in traditional imaging systems, but rather computed from raw photodiode signals. Because such imagers forgo the use of lenses, they can be made unprecedentedly small—as small as the cross-section of a human hair. Such imagers have extended depth of field, from roughly 1mm to infinity, and should find use in numerous applications, from endoscopy to infra-red and surveillance imaging and more. Furthermore, the gratings and signal processing can be tailored to specific applications from visual motion estimation to barcode reading and others.

David G. Stork is Rambus Fellow and leads research in the Computational Sensing and Imaging Group at Rambus Labs in Sunnyvale, CA. A graduate in physics from MIT and the University of Maryland, Dr. Stork has published eight books/proceedings volumes, including Pattern classification (2nd ed.) and Seeing the Light: Optics in nature, photography, color, vision and holography and has held faculty appointments in eight disciplines variously at Wellesley and Swarthmore Colleges and Clark, Boston and Stanford Universities. He co-created the PBS television documentary 2001: HAL’s Legacy,based on his book HAL’s legacy: 2001’s computer as dream and reality, analyzing the computer science in the feature film 2001: A Space Odyssey. He holds 48 issued patents and is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), the Society for Photographic Instrumentation and Engineering (SPIE), the International Association for Pattern Recognition (IAPR), and the International Academy, Research and Industry Association (IARIA) and is a Senior Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and IEEE.

Meeting Location: Photonics Building Room PHO 339, Boston University, 8 St. Mary’s Street, Boston, MA 02215.

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