Full Stokes Resolution via a Single Photodetector with Geometrically Patterned Contacts

When solving polarimetry problems where optical beam-splitting schemes are not feasible for reconstructing individual parameters on individual measuring devices, metasurfaces with reduced symmetry are often used. This is a technologically challenging approach due to the high precision requirements of lithography. In this paper, we propose an alternative concept and device implementation in which the required symmetry-free operation is achieved by patterning four contacts adjacent to a two-dimensional semiconductor crystal. Illumination of such a device generates a set of signals from which, with preliminary calibration, it is possible to reconstruct the full polarization state of the incident radiation. The influence of contact shape on polarization sensitivity and phase delay arises from the polarization-sensitive enhancement of the electric field near the metal edges, which is independent of the photovoltage generation mechanism in the two-dimensional crystal, making this concept applicable to a wide range of materials.