Dielectric liquid lens with chevron-patterned electrode

A dielectric liquid lens driven using a chevron-patterned electrode is prepared. The bending angle of the electrode is 90 degrees. This newly designed electrode can effectively and symmetrically deform the shape of the liquid lens, which in turn leads to a variable focus. For a 3-mm-diameter lens, a driving voltage changed from 0 to 52 V can vary its focal length from similar to 19.3 to similar to 4.9 mm. Using a 40-V-rms pulse voltage to impact the lens, the dynamic response time is similar to 6.7 s. Using a step voltage to impact the liquid lens, the response time can be largely reduced. Multiple lenses or a microlens array can be driven at the same time. Due to in-plane actuation, the driving voltage is insensitive to the size of the liquid lens. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement