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Biologically inspired optical surfaces for miniaturized optical systems

Biologically inspired optical surfaces for miniaturized optical systems

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Mining smartness from vision organs found in nature becomes of much interest in optical applications such as imaging, display, or lighting. Unlike conventional bulk optics, miscellaneous hierarchical structures at micro- or nanoscale deliver highly efficient light management with a small form factor. For example, natural species have evolved their eyes to obtain all necessary visual information from surrounding environment. Natural imaging schemes can be chiefly classified by three different types of pinholes, camera, and compound eyes. Pinhole eyes found in clam are sensitive enough to allow the animals to protect themselves from dangerous environment but not so sensitive to collect all visual inputs. Unlike other types, the pinhole eye as one of natural eyes with the simplest and thinnest optical configurations is well known for infinite depth-of-field, i.e., no blurred imaging depending on object distance and thus these unique features have been implemented on early-stage simple camera imaging systems. Besides, advanced pinhole eyes are also found in viper snakes of Crotalinae and some python of Boidae, which combine both pinhole eye and ordinary camera eye in order to confer infrared (IR) as well as visible imaging for warm-blooded preys. Compound eyes found in arthropods exhibit many intriguing features for wide field-of-view (FOV), fast motion detection, polarization sensing, color imaging, or high-resolution imaging with compact optical configuration unlike other types. They comprise arrays of integrated optical units called ommatidia. The individual component consists of a facet lens, a crystalline cone, a light-guiding rhabdom, and photoreceptor cells. Furthermore, nature exhibits ten different optical schemes of compound eyes, which have some attractive figures-of-merits for sustainable life style in visual acuity, photon collection efficiency, and polarization or spectral sensitivity. Such biological inspiration recently and actively provides new opportunities for improving optical capability of conventional imaging systems by incorporating nano- and microfabrication methods and furthermore it delivers technical solutions for miniaturized optical systems in medical, industrial, and military fields. In this chapter, we will review engineering approach inspired from diverse biological organs, which can be utilized for miniaturized optical systems in diverse optical applications.

Chapter Contents:

  • 6.1 Introduction
  • 6.2 Biological inspiration from index gradient
  • 6.2.1 Natural gradient index
  • 6.2.2 Mimicking index gradients
  • 6.2.3 Summary
  • 6.3 Biological inspiration from focal tunability
  • 6.3.1 Tunable focus found in nature
  • 6.3.2 Biomimicry
  • 6.3.2.1 Pneumatic membrane deformation
  • 6.3.2.2 pH sensitive volume change
  • 6.3.2.3 Artificial muscles
  • 6.3.3 Summary
  • 6.4 Biological inspiration from wide field of view
  • 6.4.1 Compound eyes found in nature
  • 6.4.2 Biomimicry
  • 6.4.2.1 Planar emulation of natural compound eyes
  • 6.4.2.2 Artificial compound eyes with flat substrates
  • 6.4.2.3 Artificial compound eyes with curved surfaces
  • 6.4.3 Summary
  • 6.5 Biological inspiration from antireflection
  • 6.5.1 Antireflection found in nature
  • 6.5.2 Biomimicry
  • 6.5.3 Summary
  • 6.6 Biological inspiration from color
  • 6.6.1 Structural color
  • 6.6.2 Biomimicry
  • 6.6.2.1 Structural color
  • 6.6.3 Summary
  • 6.7 Illumination
  • 6.7.1 Bioluminescence found in nature
  • 6.7.1.1 Fireflies
  • 6.7.1.2 Squids
  • 6.7.1.3 Fishes
  • 6.7.2 Biomimicry
  • 6.7.2.1 Bioinspired LED lens
  • 6.7.2.2 Bioinspired overlayer on a GaN LED
  • 6.7.3 Summary
  • 6.8 Conclusion
  • References

Inspec keywords: eye; cameras; image colour analysis; photons; bio-optics; optical sensors; microlenses

Other keywords: natural imaging schemes; ordinary camera eye; photon collection efficiency; wide field-of-view; surrounding environment; light-guiding rhabdom; facet lens; compact optical configuration; spectral sensitivity; color imaging; ommatidia; vision organs; biologically inspired optical surfaces; diverse biological organs; mining smartness; FOV; miniaturized optical systems; pinhole eyes; engineering approach; viper snakes; photoreceptor cells; Boidae; warm-blooded preys; simple camera imaging systems; python; visual information; visual acuity; compound eyes; high-resolution imaging; polarization sensing; motion detection; crystalline cone; Crotalinae; integrated optical units

Subjects: Sensing and detecting devices; Optical, image and video signal processing; Optical lenses and mirrors; Bio-optics (effects of microwaves, light, laser and other electromagnetic waves); Physiological optics, vision; Image sensors; Micro-optical devices and technology; Image processing and restoration; Micro-optical devices and technology

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