Context : The morphological evolution of dusty disks around young ( a few Myr old ) stars is pivotal for a better understanding of planet formation .
Since both dust grains and the global disk geometry evolve on short timescales , high-resolution imaging of a sample of objects may provide important indications about this evolution .

Aims : We enlarge the sample of protoplanetary disks imaged in polarized light with high-resolution imaging ( \lesssim 0.2 \arcsec ) by observing the Herbig Ae/Be stars HD163296 , HD141569A , and HD150193A .
We combine our data with previous datasets to understand the larger context of their morphology .

Methods : Polarimetric differential imaging is an attractive technique with which to image at near-IR wavelengths a significant fraction of the light scattered by the circumstellar material .
The unpolarized stellar light is canceled out by combining two simultaneous orthogonal polarization states .
This allowed us to achieve an inner working angle and an angular resolution as low as \sim 0.1 \arcsec .

Results : We report a weak detection of the disk around HD163296 in the H and K _ { S } band .
The disk is resolved as a broken ring structure with a significant surface brightness drop inward of 0.6 \arcsec .
No sign of extended polarized emission is detected from the disk around HD141569A and HD150193A .

Conclusions : We propose that the absence of scattered light in the inner 0.6 \arcsec around HD163296 and the non-detection of the disk around HD150193A may be due to similar geometric factors .
Since these disks are known to be flat or only moderately flared , self-shadowing by the disk inner wall is the favored explanation .
We show that the polarized brightness of a number of disks is indeed related to their flaring angle .
Other scenarios ( such as dust grain growth or interaction with icy molecules ) are also discussed .
On the other hand , the non-detection of HD141569A is consistent with previous datasets that revealed a huge cavity in the dusty disk .