Focal length measurement of a varifocal liquid lens with capacitance detection

This paper reports on a detailed deformation model of varifocal liquid lenses fabricated by Parylene-on-liquid-deposition (POLD), which can be applied to measure and adjust the focal length of such lenses without using extra sensors or sensing mechanisms. The lens was fabricated by encapsulating a liquid between a transparent electrode and a polymer film that was covered with a metal electrode. When voltage is applied to the two electrodes, the lens deforms due to the electrostatic force, and its focal length and the capacitance between the two electrodes change simultaneously. This characteristic enables the focal length of the lens to be adjusted and detected by measuring the capacitance change. The focal length of the fabricated varifocal liquid lens changed from 153.6 to 82.6 mm by applying 150-V. The focal length change of the liquid lens was calculated from the change in its capacitance. Finally, to confirm the efficiency of this varifocal liquid lens, we fabricated a confocal distance sensor using the lens for laser scanning and demonstrated that this system can be used to measure distances of 94–140 mm with an average error of 0.83 mm and a standard deviation of 0.77 mm.