High-performance beam steering using electrowetting-driven liquid prism fabricated by a simple dip-coating method

Clement, Carlos Enrico; Park, Sung-Yong

doi:10.1063/1.4949265

Cited by 35 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Figure 10d–f show the versatility of our prism arrays that are formed with the apex angles, ranging −20° ≤ ϕ ≤ 20° by varying the applied voltages at each of the prism sidewalls. By using two liquids with different refractive indices ( n air ≠ n 1 ≠ n 2 ), the previous studies have demonstrated beam steering of the incoming light that can be effectively achieved without the need of bulky mechanical moving parts [22,23,24]. Figure 11a shows an experimental demonstration of beam steering using a single liquid prism filled with high-reflective-index oil 1-bromonapthalene (liquid 1) and water (liquid 2).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This lab-on-a-wristband (LOW) concept highlights the potential of 3D EWOD technology for point-of-care (POC) applications. Another example of the 3D EWOD devices popularly studied in recent years is the liquid prism that enables spatial beam steering [18,19,20,21,22,23]. EWOD-driven liquid prism technology has been used in diverse applications including sunlight beam steering for solar energy harvesting [24,25,26] and optical beam control to achieve a Fresnel lens [23].…”

Section: Ion Gel Layer Coating For 3d Ewod Device Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bias voltages (V L and V R ) are subsequently applied to the left and right sidewalls to induce the electrowetting effect to essentially control the prism apex angle ( ϕ ) [19,21,22]. In several previous studies, beam steering performance achieved by a single prism has been well described as a function of the refractive indices ( n 1 ≠ n 2 ) of each medium as well as the apex angle ( ϕ ) [22,23,24]. Our group recently achieved the highest beam steering angle ever demonstrated up to β = 19.06° using a double-stacked prism configuration [22].…”

Section: Ion Gel Layer Coating For 3d Ewod Device Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In several previous studies, beam steering performance achieved by a single prism has been well described as a function of the refractive indices ( n 1 ≠ n 2 ) of each medium as well as the apex angle ( ϕ ) [22,23,24]. Our group recently achieved the highest beam steering angle ever demonstrated up to β = 19.06° using a double-stacked prism configuration [22]. However, the aperture area is typically limited in a single prism due to surface tension modulation.…”

Section: Ion Gel Layer Coating For 3d Ewod Device Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Study of Dip-Coatable, High-Capacitance Ion Gel Dielectrics for 3D EWOD Device Fabrication

et al. 2017

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We present a dip-coatable, high-capacitance ion gel dielectric for scalable fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) devices such as an n × n liquid prism array. Due to the formation of a nanometer-thick electric double layer (EDL) capacitor, an ion gel dielectric offers two to three orders higher specific capacitance (c ≈ 10 μF/cm2) than that of conventional dielectrics such as SiO2. However, the previous spin-coating method used for gel layer deposition poses several issues for 3D EWOD device fabrication, particularly when assembling multiple modules. Not only does the spin-coating process require multiple repetitions per module, but the ion gel layer also comes in risks of damage or contamination due to handling errors caused during assembly. In addition, it was observed that the chemical formulation previously used for the spin-coating method causes the surface defects on the dip-coated gel layers and thus leads to poor EWOD performance. In this paper, we alternatively propose a dip-coating method with modified gel solutions to obtain defect-free, functional ion gel layers without the issues arising from the spin-coating method for 3D device fabrication. A dip-coating approach offers a single-step coating solution with the benefits of simplicity, scalability, and high throughput for deposition of high-capacitance gel layers on non-planar EWOD devices. An ion gel solution was prepared by combining the [EMIM][TFSI] ionic liquid and the [P(VDF-HFP)] copolymer at various wt % ratios in acetone solvent. Experimental studies were conducted to fully understand the effects of chemical composition ratios in the gel solution and how varying thicknesses of ion gel and Teflon layers affects EWOD performance. The effectiveness and potentiality of dip-coatable gel layers for 3D EWOD devices have been demonstrated through fabricating 5 × 1 arrayed liquid prisms using a single-step dip-coating method. Each prism module has been individually controlled to achieve spatial beam steering without the need for bulky mechanical moving parts.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ion Gel Layer Coating For 3d Ewod Device Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ion Gel Layer Coating For 3d Ewod Device Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ion Gel Layer Coating For 3d Ewod Device Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A Study of Dip-Coatable, High-Capacitance Ion Gel Dielectrics for 3D EWOD Device Fabrication

et al. 2017

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“…In addition, direct manipulation of discrete droplets enables fabrication and operation of highly automated microfluidics systems with more flexibility and higher efficiency [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Due to these unique advantages, EWOD digital microfluidics has been used for tremendous applications such as medical [13][14][15][16][17][18][19], display [20,21], optics [22,23], and cooling [24,25]. In addition, there are many recent EWOD studies on engineering applications such as optofluidics and solar energy [26,27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accurate, consistent, and fast droplet splitting and dispensing in electrowetting on dielectric digital microfluidics

Nikapitiya

Nahar

Moon

2017

Micro and Nano Syst Lett

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This letter reports two novel electrode design considerations to satisfy two very important aspects of EWOD operation-(1) Highly consistent volume of generated droplets and (2) Highly improved accuracy in the generated droplet volume. Considering the design principles investigated two novel designs were proposed; L-junction electrode design to offer high throughput droplet generation and Y-junction electrode design to split a droplet very fast while maintaining equal volume of each part. Devices of novel designs were fabricated and tested, and the results are compared with those of conventional approach. It is demonstrated that inaccuracy and inconsistency of droplet volume dispensed in the device with novel electrode designs are as low as 0.17 and 0.10%, respectively, while those of conventional approach are 25 and 0.76%, respectively. The dispensing frequency is enhanced from 4 to 9 Hz by using the novel design.

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A Brief Review of Solar Indoor Lighting System Integrated with Optofluidic Technologies

Chen

Burhan

2021

Energy Tech

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Indoor lighting system incorporating daylighting effectively provides potential energy savings as well as meaningful spatial and temporal variation in illuminance beneficial to human well‐being and performance. Integration of the tunable liquid prisms driven by optofluidic technologies further improves the solar indoor lighting systems to achieve better illumination performance and higher solar energy utilization efficiency. Herein, an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art investigations over different aspects of the solar indoor lighting system enhanced by optofluidic liquid prisms, including 1) theoretical background, design, fabrication, and operation of liquid prisms; 2) advances in solar collectors and solar trackers; and 3) major tools for indoor lighting simulation and ray‐tracing simulation, is provided. These studies form a solid foundation for the future solar indoor lighting systems integrated with optofluidic technologies. The prospective study focuses on laboratory and on‐site testing of the integrated system.

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High-performance beam steering using electrowetting-driven liquid prism fabricated by a simple dip-coating method

Cited by 35 publications

References 18 publications

A Study of Dip-Coatable, High-Capacitance Ion Gel Dielectrics for 3D EWOD Device Fabrication

A Study of Dip-Coatable, High-Capacitance Ion Gel Dielectrics for 3D EWOD Device Fabrication

Accurate, consistent, and fast droplet splitting and dispensing in electrowetting on dielectric digital microfluidics

A Brief Review of Solar Indoor Lighting System Integrated with Optofluidic Technologies

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