Abstract
We have developed a self-contained, liquid tunable microlens based on polyacrylate membranes integrated with compact on-chip thermo-pneumatic actuation fabricated using full-wafer processing. Silicone oil is used as the optical liquid, which is pushed or pulled into the lens cavity via an extended microfluidic channel structure without any pumps, valves or other mechanical means. The heat load generated by the thermal actuator is physically isolated from the lens chamber. The back focal length may be tuned from infinity to 4 mm with a maximum power consumption of 300 mW. The principal application is fine tuning of the back focal length, for which tuning time constants as small as 100 ms are suitable.
Highlights
Miniaturization of tunable lenses for integration into optically reconfigurable optical microsystems is promising for many applications, including optical communications, consumer electronics and medical engineering
We present here a completely self-contained, thermo-pneumatically tunable microlens with on-chip actuation, fabricated using microelectromechanical systems techniques in a full-wafer fabrication process
back focal length (BFL) The BFL was measured by determining the position of the circle of least confusion, using a microscopic setup with collimated white light in front of the tunable lens.[16]
Summary
We have developed a self-contained, liquid tunable microlens based on polyacrylate membranes integrated with compact on-chip thermo-pneumatic actuation fabricated using full-wafer processing. Silicone oil is used as the optical liquid, which is pushed or pulled into the lens cavity via an extended microfluidic channel structure without any pumps, valves or other mechanical means. The heat load generated by the thermal actuator is physically isolated from the lens chamber. The back focal length may be tuned from infinity to 4 mm with a maximum power consumption of 300 mW. The principal application is fine tuning of the back focal length, for which tuning time constants as small as 100 ms are suitable. Light: Science & Applications (2014) 3, e145; doi:10.1038/lsa.2014.26; published online 28 February 2014
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