Chip-scale, full-Stokes polarimeter

The polarization of light conveys unique information that can be exploited by crucial applications. The bulky and costly discrete optical components used in conventional polarimeters limit their broad adoption. A compact, low-cost polarimeter would bring this functionality into a myriad of new scenarios and revolutionize its exploitation. Here we present a high-performance, full-Stokes polarimeter on a silicon chip. A surface polarization splitter and on-chip optical interferometer circuit produce the complete analysis matrix of an optimally conditioned polarimeter. A matrix analysis on measurement errors is also performed. This solid-state polarimeter is a system-on-a-chip with exceptional compactness, stability, and speed that could be used singly or in integrated arrays. Large arrays can increase the speed and resolution of full-Stokes imaging; therefore, our design provides a scalable polarimeter solution.