Integrated light field sensors: From nanophotonic architectures to computational perception

Light inherently possesses multiple degrees of freedom (DoFs), such as wavelength, polarization, phase, and intensity, making it a powerful carrier for information encoding and processing. The accurate detection and analysis of these DoFs of light form the cornerstone of modern optics and photonics. With the rapid advancement of photonic integration technologies, integrated light field sensors have garnered significant attention for their potential to enable compact, multifunctional, and high-performance optical systems. Recent progress in nanophotonic architectures and computational perception has propelled the development of on-chip sensors capable of low- and high-dimensional light field measurements. This review focuses on recent advances in integrated optical sensors for spectra, polarization, and orbital angular momentum detection. The high-dimensional light field sensing includes spectral imaging, polarimetric imaging, phase imaging, spectropolarimetric detection, and polarized vortex beam detection. We systematically summarize the underlying physical mechanisms, engineering strategies, and representative device architectures, while also discussing their potential applications across various fields. Finally, we outline the existing challenges and offer a perspective on the future directions of chip-scale light field sensing technologies.