Skip to main content

Sony is working on a sensor with an integrated polarizing filter

sony research on chip polarization filter image sensor
Polarizing filters have long been used as a tool to reduce glare, minimize reflections, and improve the color of the sky in photographs by absorbing certain wavelengths of light before they hit the sensor (or film) inside a camera.

Traditionally, these filters have been placed in front of the lens via screw-on and drop-in setups, but there have been attempts to add polarizers directly inside the camera to reduce the need for fragile external components. The technology has yet to go mainstream though, due to complicated designs, limited capabilities, and cost efficiency. Soon though, that might not be the case.

Related Videos

Sony has announced that it is working on a new backside-illuminated CMOS sensor with an integrated polarizing filter. Instead of placing a glass polarizing filter in front of your lens, Sony’s prototype sensor uses a metal grid atop the sensor’s photodiodes that acts as a polarizer to selectively reduce unwanted glare and reflections in an image.

To achieve this, Sony angles the metal grid into four distinct polarization directions: 0, 45, 90, and 135 degrees. Such a setup allows each of the polarizers to be used selectively and block out only certain light, a vital component since this leaves more creative control in the hands of the photographer holding the camera.

In the example images shared by Sony, seen above, we can see the prototype sensor was able to capture objects inside a glass box both with and without reflections, all in-body and without the need to fiddle with a circular polarizing filter.

The sensor is also capable of capturing photos with minimal “ghosting,” a phenomenon that occurs when the polarizer acts as a mirror and reflects its own image onto the sensor. To do this, Sony uses an anti-reflection layer above the gridded polarizers.

By using this new design, Sony should be able to develop smaller, more affordable polarization sensors that could some day make it into consumer cameras. According to data that Sony presented, this method of polarizing proved to be more effective and efficient than what is offered by previously developed polarization cameras.

Editors' Recommendations

How $80 of photo processing software magically saved me thousands
photo editing topaz labs denoise ai phil camera

It's a good time to be a photographer, whether you're just starting out and really don't have any idea what you're doing, or if you're a seasoned pro looking to try something new.

The gear is better than ever, making even entry-level bodies better than what the previous generation started out with. Software options make cataloging and processing your photos faster and less destructive, so you can revisit things for years and give old pics new life.

Read more
In just three years, 30% of PCs may be built on ARM architecture
An Apple MacBook Pro 14 sits open on a table.

A new report suggests that ARM-based systems might become more and more common in the future, ramping up at an unprecedented pace.

ARM's system-on-a-chip (SoC) can be found in Apple M-series chips, as well as in Chromebooks, among other devices. Can the adoption of these devices rise as high as the report predicts?

Read more
This new AMD feature can boost your games with one click
A man playing games on the computer, wearing a headset.

It's not just AMD RDNA 3 that's new and coming soon courtesy of Team Red. AMD has also announced other new tech, including Hypr-RX, a quick solution that could boost your PC's gaming performance without a hassle.

AMD is also bringing its Advantage program to desktops, meaning that buying a top-notch prebuilt PC with AMD hardware is going to be easier than it was before.

Read more