低压驱动高阻值层液晶透镜

针对传统电极驱动液晶透镜的电场分布在驱动电极边缘的问题,设计了一种高阻值层驱动电极来控制液晶分子偏转的低压驱动和焦距可调的液晶透镜.利用磁控溅射工艺在含镂空孔阵列的面状铝电极基板表面沉积一层掺铝氧化锌透明薄膜,形成高阻值层驱动电极;利用液晶盒成盒工艺将制备好的驱动电极基板和公共电极基板(氧化铟锡玻璃基板)组装成液晶透镜,研究掺铝氧化锌高阻值层、驱动电压、工作频率对液晶透镜光学性能的影响.实验结果表明,对比传统电极驱动液晶透镜,高阻值层电极驱动液晶透镜在驱动电压2.2Vrms和工作频率130kHz下获得的干涉圆环均匀,聚焦光斑小.同时,在驱动电压1.8～2.8Vrms和工作频率130kHz下所制备的液晶透镜焦距可调范围为4.27～2.88mm.     

一种高性能液晶透镜的设计方法

提出了一种高性能液晶透镜的设计方法。该方法结合了电极结构的设计并利用了液晶材料线性响应区。所设计的电极结构用于产生抛物线的电压分布,将驱动电压控制在液晶材料的线性响应区内可以实现抛物线的相位分布。通过该方法设计的液晶透镜,其孔径可以是任意大小,且不依赖高阻膜。所设计的电极结构简单,加工只需要一次光刻。透镜由两个低电压驱动,驱动方法简单,其焦距可通过两个驱动电压进行调节。理论上这种液晶透镜的相位分布在变焦过程中保持理想的抛物线分布,且光焦度正比于两个驱动电压的差值。实验上,通过光刻法加工了所设计的电极结构,测量了液晶材料的线性响应区,制作了液晶层厚度为50μm的液晶透镜。通过偏振干涉原理采集了干涉条纹,并从中提取了相位信息。实验结果表明,透镜的相位服从抛物线分布,且光焦度与驱动电压的差值成正比。实验结果与理论分析一致。     

便携式电控聚合物分散液晶全息透镜的电源及结构设计

根据聚合物分散液晶材料的光电特性及需要,在研究基于聚合物分散液晶光电器件时必须设计合适的电源驱动系统。介绍了在电控聚合物分散液晶全息透镜器件研制中,将电池输出的直流低压升高变频到70～100V、1000Hz频率交流高电压的电路系统设计。并介绍了变焦透镜装置总体结构的机械设计。实验结果表明,该电源设计能够满足聚合物分散液晶全息透镜器件中的液晶分子光轴驱动的需要,并能实现器件的小型化和便捷式。     

大变焦范围电调谐液晶变焦透镜的研究

基于向列相液晶指向矢随施加电场作用发生变化的特性, 结合几何光学和液晶理论提出了一种液晶透镜结构模型, 研究了电极大小、隔垫物厚度等液晶透镜参数对液晶透镜焦距的影响. 通过优化参数, 得到结构简单、变焦范围较大的新型液晶透镜样品, 在驱动电压0 V_RMS–250 V_RMS下可调的焦距范围为75–230 mm, 达到155 mm.     

柔性液晶微透镜阵列的制备与性能研究

针对集成成像视场角狭小的问题,设计并制备了一种柔性圆孔驱动电极控制液晶分子偏转的可弯曲和焦距可调的柔性液晶微透镜阵列。利用光刻技术在柔性ITO基板表面刻蚀并形成规则的圆孔阵列电极,旋涂工艺制备柔性聚酰亚胺(PI)膜层,PI膜层经60℃加热5 min后,再利用等离子体在功率630 W条件下处理5 min固化成PI取向层。利用液晶盒成盒工艺将上、下基板组装成液晶透镜,研究未弯曲和弯曲曲率半径7.5 cm条件下液晶微透镜阵列的光学性能。实验结果表明,所制备的液晶透镜在未弯曲和曲率半径为7.5 cm的情况下均可实现聚焦功能,且液晶微透镜阵列的干涉圆环均匀,聚焦光斑小。在驱动电压3~5.3 Vrms下,弯曲曲率半径为7.5 cm的液晶微透镜阵列焦距可调的范围为0.43~1.05 mm。     

连续变焦的聚合物分散液晶电控透镜

介绍了一种基于聚合物分散液晶材料的连续调焦电控透镜.在聚合物分散液晶盒的上表面电极上刻蚀圆孔,形成一个非对称电极,在液晶盒上下极板之间,诱发一个非均匀电场,从而引起聚合物分散液晶材料的折射率非均匀分布,形成电控变焦透镜.阐述了聚合物分散液晶可调焦透镜的基本原理,分析了透镜孔径对聚合物分散液晶透镜焦距的影响,在直径3mm和6mm的圆孔条件下,分别测量了透镜焦距随电压的变化关系.结果表明:电压从50V加到170V的过程中,透镜焦距逐渐减短,刻蚀3mm圆孔的聚合物分散液晶盒焦距从1.361 63m到0.429 21m,刻蚀6mm圆孔的聚合物分散液晶盒焦距从1.769 92m到0.548 43m.     

双层介电薄膜结构双液体变焦透镜的研究

在双层介电薄膜结构双液体变焦透镜模型的基础上,分析了透镜焦距与外加电压、双层介电薄膜的介电常量、薄膜厚度等参量的关系.并以降低双液体变焦透镜驱动电压为目的,选择了相对介电常量较高的五氧化二钽薄膜作为内层介电层,相对介电常量较低的防水层为外层介电层,分析了双层介电薄膜的厚度以及厚度的匹配对双液体变焦透镜的变焦范围和驱动电压的影响,在保证一定的变焦范围并尽可能降低透镜驱动电压情况下获得最佳透镜工艺参量.模拟结果表明:疏水层薄膜厚度比高介电层薄膜厚度小很多时,双液体变焦透镜可实现低压驱动,且双液体变焦透镜在一定变焦范围内所需驱动电压可下降到10V以下,而疏水层薄膜厚度与高介电层薄膜厚度相当或高于高介电层薄膜厚度都不能有效利用高介电薄膜的高介电性能来降低双液体变焦透镜的驱动电压.     

基于光控取向技术的液晶元器件研究

从液晶取向技术展开,介绍了液晶几何相位的基本原理和光控取向液晶元器件的制作工艺,通过实验制备了液晶透镜和液晶双焦点透镜样品,并在衍射光路中演示了其效果.相比于传统光学透镜,制备的液晶透镜和双焦点透镜的焦距和焦点位置可以按需预设在液晶样品中,其中双焦点透镜可实现焦距相等和焦距不相等的情况.此外,本实验制备的液晶样品还具备偏振控制的功能,通过调节入射光的偏振态可以切换目标光场的分布.     

低压双液体变焦透镜的理论及工艺研究

通过对仅有单层介电薄膜双液体变焦透镜模型的相关理论分析,得出介电层薄膜的厚度及均匀性对双液体变焦透镜的性能影响很大,并绘制了双液体变焦透镜焦距与驱动电压、介电层厚度的关系曲线.在此基础上,以降低双液体变焦透镜的驱动电压为目的,对介电层的选择进行了分析,选择既可充当介电层又可充当疏水层的派瑞林材料作为双液体变焦透镜的介电层材料,通过真空蒸发镀膜工艺得到了合适厚度的介电层派瑞林薄膜,并对所镀薄膜表面形貌以及厚度进行了测试.选择氯化钾以及溴代十二烷作为导电液体和油性液体,利用离心方式除去液体中溶有的气体,进而制作完成双液体变焦透镜样品.电驱变焦实验得到低压双液体变焦透镜样品的变焦范围为±20mm,驱动电压约为30V,对于实验过程中出现的迟滞效应,通过对杨氏方程中引入摩擦力项,合理地解释了其原因.     

低电压驱动液晶变焦透镜的设计与优化

在单圆孔电极液晶透镜基础上进行结构改进,形成双层非对称新型液晶透镜。结合几何光学和液晶理论,利用Zemax模拟并优化该双层结构液晶透镜参数。由Zemax分析可知,在相同的低驱动电压(2.5Vrms~20Vrms范围),0°、3.5°、5°视场角中,双层结构透镜相比于单层结构透镜,可获得更宽的调焦范围,短焦焦距f从19.6172mm缩小到9.9059mm;像差显著减小;该光学调制传递函数(MTF)为0.6时,径向分辨率从12.06lp/mm提高到21.02lp/mm,提高近一倍,图像解像力和清晰度显著提高,并且高频部分MTF由0.1增加到0.3。最后,实验验证了20Vrms时,双层结构液晶透镜的衍射光斑最小。     

Properties of Variable-Focus Liquid Crystal Lens and Its Application in Focusing System

The properties of two-voltage driving liquid crystal lens are discussed. One voltage is maintained unchanged and the other one tunes the lens properties. The lens power changes in a wide range. It decreases monotonically with increasing controlling voltage. The focusing function for a camera with the liquid crystal lens is demonstrated.     

电控聚合物分散液晶变焦全息透镜制作

介绍了相位型全息聚合物分散液晶(PDLC)材料全息透镜,在电场作用下液晶微滴折射率逐渐与聚合物折射率匹配,实现透镜电控变焦。研究了微米尺寸和纳米尺寸液晶微滴聚合物分散液晶材料配方特性和微观结构。采用优化纳米尺寸材料配方制作5~6μm聚合物分散液晶盒,采用离轴式平面波和球面波干涉全息写入光路,成功制作电控变焦聚合物分散液晶全息透镜样品。该透镜样品焦距为20 mm,能够正一级衍射放大成像。实现“0”,“1”变焦的驱动电压阈值为60 V。并进一步提出了基于聚合物分散液晶电控变焦元件集成叠加技术实现电控变焦光学成像系统的技术思路。     

Design and simulation of single-electrode liquid crystal phased arrays

Liquid crystal (LC) phased arrays and gratings have been employed in optical switching and routing [1]. These diffractive optic elements are of great interest because they can be scaled up to a large number of elements and their optical properties can be electrically addressed with a low driving voltage. LC phase gratings have been achieved either by periodic addressing of pixels or by using periodically-modified structures. The latter approach leads to less reconfigurable devices but the addressing is simpler. In this paper we focus on optical phased arrays where the phase is varied either continuously or discretely and where the periodicity is induced by electrode configuration. We first describe a possible structure based on a conductive silicon wafer. We argue that this structure can induce either continuously or discretely varying arrays while applying single voltage to the array. In the second part we simulate the behaviour of such arrays. We base the simulation on a LC synthesized at the Military University of Technology, this high-birefringence nematic LC shows in a 4-μm thick cell a linear phase shift range of more than 360° between 1.2 V and 1.8 V. We calculate the distribution of the LC molecule director and assess the performance of the array with respect to the applied voltage. Finally, the relevance of such technology for switchable phased arrays is discussed.     

Optical properties and optimized conditions for polymer dispersed liquid crystal containing UV curable polymer and nematic liquid crystal

Polymer dispersed liquid crystal was synthesized by combining a UV curable polymer and a nematic liquid crystal. Optimized conditions for the optical properties of the PDLC were found to be the concentration ratio of LC and polymer at 7:3, UV curing time of 18 min, and the thickness less than 25 μm. In the case of the high LC concentration (≥70%) sample, the amount of liquid crystal segregated in the polymerization process was enough to form a spherical shape of droplet, and the threshold driving voltage was reduced. The response time for the turn-on process was nearly independent of the concentration, while the turn-off process was almost proportional to the concentration. From microscopic image and UV–visible spectrum analysis, the relation between LC droplet morphology and optical properties were explained.     

一种液晶透镜盒间隙的测试方法

针对当前液晶透镜盒间隙测试存在的难题, 文中提出采用线偏振干涉法测试方法, 采用光强均匀分布的单色光入射, 检偏器的偏光轴方向与起偏器的偏光轴垂直或者平行, 液晶透镜的液晶取向层的摩擦方向与起偏器偏振轴夹角为45°, 此时干涉条纹亮暗差别最明显. 利用液晶透镜中心保持预倾角不变的透过率以及其他位置透过率最大值来计算液晶透镜的盒间隙, 该方法简单、可靠, 因采用光学手段测试, 其精确度相对较高. 关键词： 液晶透镜 盒间隙 线偏振光干涉 透过率     

Terahertz electrically controlled nematic liquid crystal lens

We report some preliminary results on the realization of terahertz (THz) nematic liquid crystal (LC) lens with electric tunable focal length. A LC cell with a single circular-hole electrode is driven by an AC voltage to yield the desired spatial distribution of the refractive index. The two-dimensional function of the phase delay introduced into THz wave depends on the AC voltage and the electrodes contacting the LC layer. This lens is operated at room temperature and its convergent optical characteristic is demonstrated at 118 μm. We realize the lens with a clear aperture of 1 mm. The lens matched with a bolometer array is capable of obtaining real-time THz images of a sample without any mechanical scanning.     

Ultraviolet-light-treated polyimide alignment layers for polarization-independent liquid crystal Fresnel lenses

The surface energy of a conventional homeotropic polyimide (PI) alignment layer was altered via ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, and the pretilt angle of the PI was changed along with the surface energy. The surface energy can be controlled by either UV exposure time or irradiation intensity. A switchable liquid crystal Fresnel lens (LCFL) was created by the UV-treated alignment layers to form a Fresnel zone-distribution hybrid alignment, vertically aligned and hybrid aligned LC in the odd and even zones, respectively. The LCFL was made polarization-independent by circular buffing, and it had a diffraction efficiency of ∼22% at a low driving voltage of ∼1.2 V.     

旋转方形散射体对三角晶格磁振子晶体带结构的优化

用改进的平面波展开法数值计算了正方形散射体三角排列的二维磁振子晶体当散射体旋转时的带结构. 结果显示, 同样的填充率下, 旋转正方柱散射体可以在新的频率范围内打开更多的带隙, 或者使低频带隙加宽. 说明旋转散射体可以有效地优化带隙.