Compact Snapshot Phase-Shifting Digital Holographic Imaging Systems Using Pixelated Polarization Camera

Modern digital cameras have made significant advancements in recent years with the progress in sophisticated camera sensor technologies. However, most digital cameras focus on the intensity vision, leaving behind the polarization vision. The polarization properties of the light deliver contrast and structural features of the imaging scenes. Establishing pixelated polarization cameras with the on-chip fabrication technology opens new applied domains along with the existing intensity-based imaging applications. In this chapter, we discuss the recently developed compact on-axis phase-shifting assisted Fizeau-type polarization interferometric and holographic systems with due emphasis on the utilization of the pixelated polarization camera. The compact on-axis design of the systems delivers high phase stability and space-bandwidth enhancement, which makes the technique an effective tool in real-time imaging of dynamic events. Furthermore, we discuss the integration of polarization phase-shifting digital holography with optical microscopy in the development of a reflectance quantitative microscopy system featuring label-free, snapshot, and real-time quantitative phase imaging.