Electro-optical properties of dielectric liquid microlens

Abstract We report the electro-optical properties of dielectric liquid droplets based on dielectrophoretic effect. Due to dielectric force, the surface of each droplet can be reshaped which in turn alters its focusing behaviors. Our experimental results show that a deformed droplet can recover to its original shape with a negligible hysteresis. Both amplitude and frequency of the applied voltage play important roles affecting the droplet's shape change. The rise time is mainly governed by the applied voltage: for a given frequency a higher voltage results in a faster rise time. On the other hand, the decay time is jointly determined by the interfacial surface tensions, droplet size, and viscosity of the employed liquids.

[1]  J. Yeh,et al.  Dielectrically actuated liquid lens. , 2007, Optics express.

[2]  G. C. Knollman,et al.  Variable‐Focus Liquid‐Filled Hydroacoustic Lens , 1971 .

[3]  Hongrui Jiang,et al.  Tunable liquid microlens actuated by infrared light-responsive hydrogel , 2008 .

[4]  Shin-Tson Wu,et al.  Effects of gravity on the shape of liquid droplets , 2010 .

[5]  Luke P. Lee,et al.  Tunable liquid-filled microlens array integrated with microfluidic network. , 2003, Optics express.

[6]  Shin-Tson Wu,et al.  Dielectric liquid microlens with well-shaped electrode. , 2009, Optics express.

[7]  H. Zappe,et al.  Reconfigurable liquid micro-lenses with high positioning accuracy , 2008 .

[8]  Shin-Tson Wu,et al.  A new method for fabricating high density and large aperture ratio liquid microlens array. , 2009, Optics express.

[9]  Syed Azer Reza,et al.  A liquid lens-based broadband variable fiber optical attenuator , 2009 .

[10]  Shin-Tson Wu,et al.  Adaptive dielectric liquid lens. , 2008, Optics express.

[11]  Pietro Ferraro,et al.  Liquid micro-lens array activated by selective electrowetting on lithium niobate substrates. , 2008, Optics express.

[12]  B. Berge,et al.  Variable focal lens controlled by an external voltage: An application of electrowetting , 2000 .

[13]  S. Kuiper,et al.  Variable-focus liquid lens for miniature cameras , 2004 .

[14]  Kwan Hyoung Kang,et al.  How Electrostatic Fields Change Contact Angle in Electrowetting , 2002 .

[15]  Shin-Tson Wu,et al.  Electrically tunable wettability of liquid crystal/polymer composite films. , 2008, Optics express.