Liquid micro-lens array activated by selective electrowetting on lithium niobate substrates

Abstract

Lens effect was obtained in an open microfluidic system by using a thin layer of liquid on a polar electric crystal like LiNbO3. An array of liquid micro-lenses was generated by electrowetting effect in pyroelectric periodically poled crystals. Compared to conventional electrowetting devices, the pyroelectric effect allowed to have an electrode-less and circuit-less configuration. An interferometric technique was used to characterize the curvature of the micro-lenses and the corresponding results are presented and discussed. The preliminary results concerning the imaging capability of the micro-lens array are also reported.

Fluid interfacial nanoroughness measurement through the morphological characteristics of graphene

“…[1][2][3] Hence, experimental and theoretical methods have been developed to measure the nanoroughness of liquid surface. X-ray scattering and optical techniques are common experimental methods for observing the structure of a liquid surface.…”

Tunable Focus Liquid Lens with Radial-Patterned Electrode

“…Various mechanisms were demonstrated [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. In contrast to other liquid lenses, a liquid lens based on the dielectrophoretic effect [8][9][10]18] is particularly attractive due to the advantages of easy fabrication, compact structure, direct voltage actuation, and low power consumption.…”

“…In contrast to other liquid lenses, a liquid lens based on the dielectrophoretic effect [8][9][10]18] is particularly attractive due to the advantages of easy fabrication, compact structure, direct voltage actuation, and low power consumption. Different from an electrowetting lens [1][2][3][4], a dielectric liquid lens may not use water as its critical liquid. Therefore, some dielectric liquids with good physical properties can be chosen for improving the lens characteristics without the issues of thermal evaporation and microbubble production.…”

Adaptive Liquid Lens Actuated by Droplet Movement

“…According to the difference of the filled materials, it can be roughly classified into two categories: liquid crystal (LC) lens [1][2][3][4][5] and liquid lens [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. An adaptive LC lens usually employs an OPEN ACCESS inhomogeneous electric field to make the LC molecules reorient to produce a gradient refractive index profile.…”

“…Since the response time depends on the LC layer thickness and the size of the LC lens, it is more suitable for making microlens which constrains the real applications in imaging systems. There are three common operating mechanisms to design a liquid lens: electrowetting effect [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14], dielectric force [15][16][17][18], and fluidic pressure [19][20][21][22][23][24].…”