Imaging skins: an imaging modality with ultra-thin form factor.

Reduction of the volume and mass of an imaging system would be advantageous in a variety of applications. However, the far-field resolution of any such system is fundamentally limited by aperture size. We present a new imaging modality based on waveguide coupling that is completely confined to a two-dimensional surface. One such imaging skin was shown to have the same resolution as a 0.5 cm diameter lens while maintaining an imaging system depth of a few micrometers. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America