Filterless vector light field photodetector based on photonic-electronic co-designed non-Hermitian silicon nanostructures

Recent advances in near-field interference detection, inspired by the non-Hermitian coupling-induced directional sensing of Ormia ochracea, have demonstrated the potential of paired semiconductor nanowires for compact light field detection without optical filters. However, practical implementation faces significant challenges including limited active area, architectural scaling constraints, and incomplete characterization of angular and polarization information. Here, we demonstrate a filterless vector light field photodetector, leveraging the angle- and polarization-sensitive near-field interference of non-Hermitian semiconductor nanostructures. Our design unit comprises four devices, each containing identical silicon nanowires but varying in orientation and electric connection configuration, of which the four-dimensional photoconductive output can be uniquely mapped to key vector light field parameters: intensity, polar angle, azimuth angle, and the linear polarization difference (Stokes parameter, <i>S</i> ₁). Optimization of the geometry and doping concentration of these optoelectronic nanostructures yields a theoretical polar angle detectivity of 4 × 10^-5 °/Hz^0.5. This work establishes a paradigm for multi-output photodetectors with full-rank response matrices for multi-dimensional light field characterization, paving the way for integrated vector light field sensing systems.