Tiny chip could help cameras spot hidden details

Tiny chip could help cameras spot hidden details

A tiny new chip could give cameras and sensing systems a far sharper view of the world, helping them detect subtle differences in materials and environments that standard colour imaging systems cannot see.

In research led by Zhejiang University in collaboration with RMIT University, scientists have demonstrated a new way to build light‑analysis capability directly into imaging hardware.

Cameras are highly effective at capturing images, but applications such as machine vision, automated inspection and environmental monitoring depend on understanding different colours and wavelengths of light, not just what something looks like. That information can reveal differences in materials, surface conditions or environmental changes that appear identical to the human eye.

Until now, extracting that kind of detail has typically required separate, specialised instruments. The new study points to an alternative approach, where light analysis happens alongside imaging rather than being handled by external laboratory equipment.

Published in Nature Electronics, the work shows how the compact device could support real-world applications without bulky external equipment.

Two researchers standing beside a large laboratory nanofabrication system with a control screen and enclosed chamber in a controlled lab environment.Distinguished Professor Baohua Jia (left) and Dr Han Lin from RMIT’s Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing with advanced nanofabrication equipment used in the study. Credit: Will Wright, RMIT University

RMIT researchers led by Distinguished Professor Baohua Jia contributed expertise in nanomanufacturing, optical characterisation and device testing, working closely with the Zhejiang University team led by Professor Jianrong Qiu to evaluate the performance of the integrated system.

At RMIT, highly specialised nanofabrication lab equipment can build and image structures about 1,000 times smaller than a human hair in real time.

The collaboration brought together ultrafast laser fabrication and applied photonics to turn a new physical approach into a functioning prototype. Qiu, Bo Zhang and Zhuo Wang from Zhejiang University are corresponding authors of the research paper, and Dr Han Lin from RMIT University is a co-author.

Close up of a small chip device showing iridescent colour patterns, demonstrating optical structures that manipulate light.The microscale optical device developed in the study, integrated with imaging hardware to analyse light at the source. Credit: Zhejiang University

“This is not about adding more image processing after the fact,” said Jia from RMIT’s Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN).

“It introduces a new physical component that separates light at a very small scale, close to the sensor itself.”

Three researchers in a laboratory setting examining equipment, with lab benches and instruments visible in the background.Zhejiang University researchers involved in the international collaboration on chip scale optical sensing. Credit: Zhejiang University

How it works

The researchers used ultrafast laser pulses to create tiny spiral‑shaped structures inside transparent materials and a specialised optical system to visualise them. These structures act like microscopic light sorters, breaking incoming light into distinct patterns that a sensor can read.

In practical terms, this allows a compact device to analyse light on the spot, without moving parts or additional equipment. The approach works across visible and near‑infrared light and is largely unaffected by viewing angle, overcoming several common limitations of existing microscale technologies.

Close up of a researcher wearing protective glasses and gloves working inside a nanofabrication machine illuminated with red light, adjusting components within an enclosed chamber used to build and analyse microscopic structures.Dr Han Lin operates a nanofabrication system at RMIT, where structures around 1,000 times smaller than a human hair can be built and characterised in real time during the manufacturing process. Credit: Will Wright, RMIT University

From concept to working prototype

To demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, the team integrated the structure with a commercial image sensor and showed that it could detect spectral information and support microscopic spectral imaging.

“Demonstrating that a concept works at the chip level is a critical step,” Lin said.

“It helps move the discussion from what is theoretically possible to what kinds of sensing systems could realistically be built in the future,” Qiu said.

Close up of a researcher's gloved hand working inside a nanofabrication machine illuminated with red light, adjusting components within an enclosed chamber used to build and analyse microscopic structures. Credit: Will Wright, RMIT UniversityInside a nanofabrication system at RMIT, where structures around 1,000 times smaller than a human hair can be built and characterised in real time during the manufacturing process. Credit: Will Wright, RMIT University

The researchers say the work is still at an early stage rather than a finished product, but the work establishes a new strategy for building compact sensing tools that can go beyond simply capturing images.

“Next steps include scaling up fabrication, testing other materials and refining the software used to reconstruct light information,” Zhang said.

Organisations wishing to partner with RMIT can contact research.partnerships@rmit.edu.au

The paper, ‘Optical dispersion using micro‑vortices in thermoplastic polymers for integrated microspectrometers’, is published in Nature Electronics (DOI: 10.1038/s41928-026-01618-z).


Story: Will Wright

16 June 2026

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16 June 2026

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