Vignetted planar spatial light-field sensor and spatial sampling designs for far-field lensless synthetic imaging via signal processing image formation

A method for implementing light field sensor for use in lensless synthetic imaging, the method comprising:

• Fabrication relatively tall structures and short structures, wherein the short structures comprise light sensing capabilities, and wherein the tall structures and short structures are arranged in an array to create an array comprising a plurality of vignetted light sensors, and
• Receiving an incoming light field,
• Partitioning the incoming light field with the tall structures to created a plurality of vignetted light fields, each vignetted light field uniquely associated with a particular vignetted light sensor from the plurality of vignetted light sensors,
• Receiving each vignetted light field at the associated each vignetted light sensor, and
• Generating, at each vignetted light sensor, a measurable electrical quantity responsive to the associated vignetted light field,
• Wherein the vignetted light sensors comprising a vignette depth resulting from the difference in height between the tall structures and short light-sensing structures, and
• Wherein the collection of the measurable electrical quantities from each of the vignetted light sensors is responsive to the received incoming light field, the plurality of vignetted light sensors thereby acting as light field sensor.