title: An electrically tunable-focusing liquid crystal lens with a low voltage and simple electrodes.
abstract: An electrically tunable focusing LC lens with a low voltage and simple planar electrodes is demonstrated. The inhomogeneous electric field of the LC lens without any hole-patterned-electrode is generated by using an embedded polymeric layer with a gradient distribution of dielectric constants (or relative permittivity). LC directors in the LC layer experience spatially inhomogeneous voltages even though a single voltage is applied to the planar electrodes. Such a LC lens has a low voltage (~2.6 V(rms)) and simple design of electrodes. The gradient distribution of dielectric constants of polymeric layer is discussed and the performance of the LC lens is investigated. The applications of such a LC lens are cell phones, webcam, and pico projectors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Photonics, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 Ta Hsueh Rd., Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hung-Chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yi-Hsin
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D004566:Electrodes; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005246:Feedback; D007909:Lenses; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*