Fabrication of transmissive dielectric elastomer actuator driven tunable optical gratings with improved tunability

Krishnan, Manu Bala; Rosset, Samuel; Bhattacharya, Subhashish; Shea, Herbert

doi:10.1117/1.oe.55.4.047104

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…DEA-based tunable gratings use the in-plane expansion of the electrodes to deform a soft grating placed on the surface of the membrane(figure 5 B) 10,46,[60][61][62][63][64] . Thanks to the large actuation strain of DEAs, more than 30 % change in grating period has been obtained 64,65 . The Swiss company Optotune 66 has commercialized a DEAbased device to reduce the contrast of speckles in Laserbased projection systems 67 .…”

Section: B Tunable Opticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small, fast, and tough: Shrinking down integrated elastomer transducers

Rosset

Shea

2016

Applied Physics Reviews

Self Cite

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We review recent progress in miniaturized dielectric elastomer actuators, sensors and energy harvesters. We focus primarily on configurations where the large strain, high compliance, stretchability and high level of integration o↵ered by dielectric elastomer transducers provide significant advantages over other mm or µm-scale transduction technologies. We first present the most active application areas, including: tunable optics, soft robotics, haptics, micro fluidics, biomedical devices and stretchable sensors. We then discuss the fabrication challenges related to miniaturization, such as thin membrane fabrication, precise patterning of compliant electrodes, and reliable batch fabrication of multilayer devices. We finally address the impact of miniaturization on strain, force and driving voltage, as well as the important e↵ect of boundary conditions on the performance of mm-scale DEAs.

show abstract

Section: B Tunable Opticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small, fast, and tough: Shrinking down integrated elastomer transducers

Rosset

Shea

2016

Applied Physics Reviews

Self Cite

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additionally, a variable curvature lens can also be achieved by harnessing the temperature-dependent properties of soft hydrogel [14]. A major chunk of adaptive optics designs are created by exploiting the technology of soft electroactive materials, such as dielectric elastomers (DEs) [15,16]. In one instance, a DEbased tunable stacked lens system, driven by high voltage signals, achieves variation in its focal length by altering the meniscus while deforming the membrane [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An electromechanically driven dielectric elastomer based tunable reflector

Kashyap,

Agrawal,

Kumar

et al. 2024

Smart Mater. Struct.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Deformable optics offer numerous advantages over conventional optical assemblies, including compactness, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility. This study focuses on a reflector based on Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) with an internal fluid (air) coupling. DEAs are a class of electroactive materials adept at accommodating substantial actuation strains and rapid responses. Fluid distributed between the active and passive parts remains entirely enclosed by the device and transmits actuation pneumatically. Dynamic maneuvers conducted through a series of controlled electrical signals demonstrate proper control over optical characteristics. However, DEs exhibit inherent flaws in dynamic actuation, referred to as instabilities, which are mitigated by applying an initial pre-stretch. The study identifies optimal parameters that confer stability to the reflector: minimum to no creep, zero residual vibrations, and low viscous losses. An analytical framework is developed to assess device performance, focusing on the spherical curvature assumption that closely resembles the behavior of tunable spherical reflectors. Additionally, an optical bench setup is employed to demonstrate the relationship between focal length and applied pressure. Notably, this paper underscores the potential of a DE-based variable focal length reflector to function effectively within a dynamic environment.

show abstract

“…State-of-the-art approaches that use DEAs to electrically control the optical transmittance of an elastomeric membrane could be divided in two main groups: tunable diffraction and tunable scattering. In the former, a DEA is employed to vary the period of a deformable diffractive grating, achieving electrically-controllable structural colorations [29][30][31]. Being such an aim not relevant to the work presented here, this group will not be further considered in the following.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrically tunable directional light scattering from soft thin membranes

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The possibility of electrically tuning the scattering of light from surfaces by dynamically varying their properties is desirable for controllable transparency devices and diffusion filters. As a difference from state-of-the-art approaches where scattering is changed isotropically, this paper presents the first smart-material-based technology enabling electrical modulations in a single or multiple directions, which can be selected dynamically. The effect is achieved from thin soft membranes with transparent PEDOT:PSS coatings, which are electrically deformed along a single or multiple axes, using dielectric elastomer actuation. Anisotropic scattering is induced by electrically tuning the formation of directional surface wrinkles. As a proof of concept, a bi-directional device is obtained by overlapping two 90°-shifted mono-directional layers that can be controlled independently. According to the activation of the layers, light can be scattered along either direction, as well as both of them. Prototypes made of an acrylic elastomer were demonstrated with mono-and bi-directional operations. Devices with a window-to-total area ratio of 1:4 also showed a maximum electrical reduction of optical transmittance from 75% to 4%. This functionality and possible extensions to more than two controllable directions suggest applicability as electrically controllable anisotropic light diffusers for dynamic light shaping, as well as tunable transparency surfaces.

show abstract

Fabrication of transmissive dielectric elastomer actuator driven tunable optical gratings with improved tunability

Cited by 6 publications

References 29 publications

Small, fast, and tough: Shrinking down integrated elastomer transducers

Small, fast, and tough: Shrinking down integrated elastomer transducers

An electromechanically driven dielectric elastomer based tunable reflector

Electrically tunable directional light scattering from soft thin membranes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About