Title :
Electrowetting for Tunable Microoptics
Author :
Krogmann, Florian ; Mönch, Wolfgang ; Zappe, Hans
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Microsyst. Eng., Univ. of Freiburg, Freiburg
Abstract :
The design, fabrication, and optical properties of tunable liquid microoptical components based on electrowetting are presented. Two optical microsystems are discussed: a single liquid microlens with tunable focal length, centered and stabilized in a micromachined positioning structure, and laterally repositionable tunable liquid microlens arrays. The latter employs electrowetting for lateral movement as well as focal length tuning of the optical elements. Through the use of novel microstructuring techniques, a high positioning accuracy may be achieved with low electrode count.
Keywords :
electro-optical effects; liquid crystals; microlenses; micromachining; optical arrays; optical design techniques; optical fabrication; optical materials; optical tuning; wetting; electrowetting; laterally repositionable tunable liquid microlens arrays; low electrode count; micromachined positioning structure; optical design technique; optical elements; optical fabrication; optical properties; single liquid microlens; tunable focal length; tunable liquid microoptical components; Dielectric substrates; Lenses; Liquids; Microoptics; Optical arrays; Optical design; Optical devices; Optical switches; Surface tension; Voltage; Electrowetting; electrowetting-on-dielectrics (EWOD); liquid lenses; microlenses; microoptics;
Journal_Title :
Microelectromechanical Systems, Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JMEMS.2008.2007256
