Electroactive lens having multiple electrode layers

Abstract

Concentric ring electrodes in conventional electro-active lenses are arranged in the same layer and spaced apart from each other to prevent electrical shorts. The spacing between the electrodes depends on the substrate material and the process for manufacturing the electrodes. Ideally, the electrodes should be as close as possible together to prevent vortices or discontinuities in the electric field applied by the electrodes to the electroactive material in the electroactive lens. These vortices or discontinuities may deteriorate the optical quality of the electro-active lens. It is regret that current lithographic patterning processes are unable to create gaps of less than about 5 microns on plastic substrates. To compensate for this constraint, electrodes may be arranged in two or more interleaved layers on the substrate, where the electrodes in one layer appear to fill gaps in the other layer (s) when viewed through the electro-active lens. This eliminates the apparent gap between the electrodes, even for plastic substrates and coarse patterning resolution.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Application No. 63 / 340,134, filed on May 10, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] Electro-active lenses can be made by several methods, including patterning a series of concentric electrodes of conductive material on a first substrate, and then sandwiching a layer of liquid crystal between the first substrate and a second substrate opposite the first substrate. The second substrate can have one or more circular patterns of conductive material patterned thereon, or any other shape to match or exceed the area of ​​the patterned electrodes, thereby allowing a circuit to be formed that generates a voltage field between the two substrates. When an electric field is applied across the electrodes, the liquid crystal material between the two substrates changes its refractive index.

[0004] By applying a voltage field gradient at different electrode locations on the lens, a refractive index gradient can be generated, thus creating a lens. The higher the number of electrodes used, the finer the refractive index gradient resolution can be produced. This results in a smoother wavefront curvature, therefore providing a higher quality optics.

[0005] However, increasing the number of electrodes also increases the complexity of the electronics and the shading elements that power the electrodes, so various methods have been developed to allow a small number of power supply lines to apply a voltage gradient across a larger number of electrodes. Specifically, N power supply lines can be used to apply a voltage gradient across M>N electrodes, with resistive bridges between the electrodes. In these electro-active lenses, every M / Nth electrode is connected to a power supply line, and the other electrodes are coupled to each other with resistive bridges.

[0006] U.S. Patent 9,280,020 to Bos et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses an electro-active lens having resistive bridges fabricated in the same plane as the electrodes. These resistive bridges are in gaps in the electrode rings. Unfortunately, these gaps can degrade the optical quality of the electro-active lens. Reducing the gap size improves optical performance but can make the resistive bridges more complicated to fabricate. Additionally, the electro-active lens in U.S. Patent 9,280,020 consumes too much power to be practical because the resistive bridges provide a short path for current to flow from one drive channel to the other drive channels. This extra current results in an undesirable increase in the power consumption of the electro-active lens.

[0007] U.S. Patent No. 10,599,006 to Van Heugten et al., also incorporated herein by reference, addresses these issues by providing an electro-active lens with larger, higher resistance bridges that do not degrade the lens optical performance. In these designs, the electrodes are in one layer and the resistive bridges are in another layer, with a layer of insulating material between the electrode layer and the resistive bridge layer so that the electrodes can remain continuous and close together. In addition, no surface area needs to be removed or sacrificed from the electrodes to make room for these "elevated" resistive bridges. As a result, the elevated resistive bridges can be larger and have a higher resistance, allowing the electro-active lens to operate with much lower power consumption. Summary of the invention

[0008] When fabricated on a glass substrate, an electro-active lens similar to those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,599,006 can have concentric ring electrodes separated by a gap of 1.5-2 microns to prevent the electrodes from electrically shorting. These electrodes provide excellent electrical and optical performance, but electro-active lenses with glass substrates are not as suitable for mass production as electro-active lenses with plastic substrates, polymer substrates, or other non-glass substrates. Unfortunately, current photolithography processes for patterning electrodes on plastic substrates cannot produce concentric ring electrodes with a gap less than about 5.5 microns. Such a large gap would degrade the optical performance of the electro-active lens.

[0009] The present technology solves the problem of wide gaps between adjacent electrodes in electro-active lenses fabricated on plastic substrates. In fact, it can be used to eliminate gaps between adjacent electrodes on any type of substrate. Instead of forming the electrodes in a single layer, the electrodes are fabricated in two or more layers separated by the insulating material of the respective layers, wherein the gaps between the electrodes in each layer can be as large as desired. Similar to a shadow box or a wooden fence, the electrodes in each layer are arranged in a staggered manner on different sides of the insulating layer, with the electrodes on one side spanning the gaps between the electrodes on the other side of the insulating layer. However, when viewed along the optical axis of the electro-active lens, there can be no visible gaps between the electrodes. The electrodes are connected to a resistive bridge and / or matching wires on a single layer to provide good electrical performance. Although a gap of 1.5 to 2.0 um is already good in the prior art, being able to reduce the gap to zero using this method further improves the optical quality. This new method enables the gap along the optical axis to be zero while maintaining electrical isolation.

[0010] To understand how this is done, consider an electro-active lens having two layers of concentric ring electrodes centered on the optical axis of the electro-active lens and numbered consecutively from the innermost ring to the outermost ring. A first electrode layer includes odd-numbered electrodes, and a second electrode layer includes even-numbered electrodes. A thin layer of insulating material separates the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. In each layer, each electrode is separated from the adjacent electrode(s) by a gap x microns wide and filled with insulating material (i.e., there is a gap of x microns between the first electrode and the third electrode in the first layer, and there is a gap of x microns between the second electrode and the fourth electrode in the first layer). Depending on the resolution of the photolithographic process used to make the electrodes, this gap can be 5.5 microns or larger. However, if the electrodes are as wide as or wider than the gap, then there appears to be no gap between consecutively numbered electrodes when viewed along the optical axis of the electro-active lens. Eliminating the gap between the electrodes at viewing angles along the optical axis improves the optical performance of the electro-active lens.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of electrode size and spacing, the width of the electrodes becomes progressively narrower the further they are from the center of the optical axis of the electro-active lens. In one example, the second electrode is 151 microns wide, the third electrode is 118 microns wide, and the fourth electrode is 99 microns wide, from the center. If the second and fourth electrodes are on an upper level, and the third electrode is on a lower level, the gap between the second and fourth electrodes is 118 microns, and the width of the third electrode is the same as the gap between the second and fourth electrodes (i.e., 118 microns in this example). The inner edge of the third electrode is aligned with the outer edge of the second electrode, and the outer edge of the third electrode is aligned with the inner edge of the fourth electrode.

[0012] As those skilled in the art of designing optical devices will readily appreciate, MATLAB or another suitable programming language can be used to calculate electrode dimensions, spacing, and alignment. The following MATLAB code can be used to calculate the radius and position of the lens electrodes for a given design wavelength and the optical path distance (OPD) of each electrode:

[0013] % Example 30mm lens electrode position calculator:

[0014] f=1;%focal length(m)

[0015] stepsize=1E-6; % OPD distribution curve sampling rate, unit m

[0016] designwavelength=550e-9;%Optimal wavelength of the lens

[0017] maxradius=15E-3;% lens size

[0018] OPDstep=1 / 8; %OPD step length for each electrode

[0019] radius=0:stepsize:maxradius;

[0020] radiusindex=length(radius);

[0021] OPD = radius.^2 / (2*f*designwavelength); % Calculate the ideal OPD distribution curve

[0022] j = 1;

[0023] for i=1:radiusindex

[0024] if OPD(i)>j*OPDstep

[0025] Electrodelocation(j) = radius(i); % This is the interface between the electrodes (i.e., the gap location)

[0026] j=j+1;

[0027] end

[0028] end

[0029] The inventive electro-active lens disclosed herein is suitable for use as an intraocular lens, a contact lens, an ophthalmic lens, or a lens for an augmented or virtual reality system. Such an electro-active lens may include a first substantially transparent substrate, a first electrode on the first substantially transparent substrate, a first insulating layer on the first electrode, a second electrode on the first insulating layer, and a second insulating layer on the second electrode. The lens also includes a resistive bridge on the second insulating layer and connecting one of the first electrodes to one of the second electrodes via holes patterned into the (multiple) first (optionally, second) insulating layer.

[0030] The first electrode may be radially staggered relative to the second electrode. The first electrode includes a first ring electrode, and the second electrode includes a second ring electrode concentric with the first ring electrode. When viewed along the optical axis of the electro-active lens, there is no apparent gap between the first ring electrode and the second ring electrode. The first ring electrode may have an outer radius at least equal to an inner radius of the second ring electrode.

[0031] There may be gaps between adjacent pairs of the first electrodes and gaps between adjacent pairs of the second electrodes. At least one of the gaps between the adjacent pairs of the first electrodes may be at least 5.5 microns wide. There may be insulating material in the gaps between the adjacent pairs of the first electrodes and in the gaps between the adjacent pairs of the second electrodes.

[0032] The electro-optic lens may further include a second substantially transparent substrate liquid crystal material sandwiched between the first substantially transparent substrate and the second substantially transparent substrate. The liquid crystal material changes the focus of the electro-active lens in response to actuation by the first electrode and / or the second electrode.

[0033] Another inventive electro-active lens may include a first plastic substrate, a second plastic substrate, a liquid crystal material disposed between the first plastic substrate and the second plastic substrate, first electrodes disposed on the first plastic substrate and separated from each other by a first gap of 5 microns, an insulating layer disposed on the first electrode, and second electrodes disposed on the insulating layer, the second electrodes being separated from each other by a second gap of 5 microns and staggered relative to the first electrode. In operation, the first and second electrodes apply an electric field to the liquid crystal material, thereby changing the focus of the electro-active lens.

[0034] The first electrode and the second electrode may be a first concentric ring electrode and a second concentric ring electrode, respectively. When viewed along the optical axis of the electro-active lens, the first concentric ring electrode may appear to occupy the second gap, and the second concentric ring electrode may appear to occupy the first gap. One of the first concentric ring electrodes may have a first inner radius and a first outer radius, and one of the second concentric ring electrodes may have a second inner radius that is larger (e.g., larger ≤ 2.0 μm) than the first inner radius and smaller (e.g., smaller ≤ 2.0 μm) than the first outer radius.

[0035] The insulating layer may be a first insulating layer comprising a first insulating material disposed on the first concentric ring electrodes and in the first gap. The first insulating material electrically isolates the first concentric ring electrodes from each other and from the second concentric ring electrodes. There may be a second insulating material disposed on the second concentric ring electrodes and in the second gap and electrically isolating the second concentric ring electrodes from each other.

[0036] The electro-active lens may further comprise one or more (raised) resistor bridges disposed on the second insulating material. Each of these resistor bridges is electrically connected to a corresponding subset of the first and second concentric ring electrodes.

[0037] Alternatively, the electro-active lens may include a resistive arc. For example, there may be a first resistive arc formed on the first plastic substrate and connecting one of the first concentric ring electrodes with one of the second concentric ring electrodes through a first through hole in the first insulating layer. Similarly, there may be a second resistive arc formed on the first insulating layer and connecting another of the second concentric ring electrodes with another of the first concentric ring electrodes through a second through hole in the first insulating layer.

[0038] The electro-active lens of the present invention may be manufactured by forming first electrodes with a first gap therebetween on a substantially transparent substrate. A first insulating layer may be disposed on the first electrodes and in the first gap. Second electrodes radially staggered relative to the first electrodes are formed on the first insulating layer with a second gap therebetween. A second insulating layer is disposed on the second electrodes and in the second gap. A stapling line is formed, the stapling line being connected to at least some of the first electrodes through the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer and / or to at least some of the second electrodes through the second insulating layer. The substantially transparent substrate may be a plastic substrate, and forming the first electrode may include photolithographically patterning the first electrode with a feature size of at least 5 microns. If desired, a resistive bridge may be electrically connected to a subset of the first electrodes and a subset of the second electrodes. Alternatively, a corresponding resistive arc may be formed in the plane of the first electrode and the second electrode and connected to a corresponding first electrode or second electrode through a through hole or hole in the first insulating layer.

[0039] All combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in more detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually contradictory) are considered part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. Specifically, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are considered part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. Terms explicitly adopted herein that may also appear in any disclosure incorporated by reference should be given a meaning most consistent with the specific concepts disclosed herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The skilled artisan will appreciate that the drawings are primarily for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter described herein. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; in some cases, various aspects of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein may be shown exaggerated or enlarged in the drawings to facilitate understanding of different features. In the drawings, similar reference characters generally refer to similar features (e.g., functionally similar and / or structurally similar elements).

[0041] Figure 1A view along the optical axis of a single layer of concentric ring electrodes for a conventional electro-active lens with a glass substrate is shown.

[0042] Figure 2 A view along the optical axis of a single layer of concentric ring electrodes for a conventional electro-active lens with a plastic substrate is shown.

[0043] 3A is a view along the optical axis of a first layer of concentric ring electrodes for use in an electro-active lens having a pair of staggered layers of concentric ring electrodes.

[0044] 3B is a view along the optical axis of a second layer of concentric ring electrodes for use in an electro-active lens having a pair of staggered layers of concentric ring electrodes.

[0045] Figure 4 is a view along the optical axis of an electro-active lens having a pair of first and second alternating layers of concentric ring electrodes.

[0046] Figure 5 is a perspective view of an electro-active lens having a pair of alternating layers of concentric ring electrodes.

[0047] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of an electro-active lens having a pair of interleaved layers of concentric ring electrodes separated by insulating material.

[0048] Figure 7 A cross section of an electro-active lens with a single layer of raised resistance bridge and a single layer of electrodes is shown.

[0049] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of an electro-active lens having a pair of interleaved layers of concentric ring electrodes separated by insulating material and connected by a resistive bridge.

[0050] Fig. 9 Shows Figure 8 Plan view of the electro-active lens.

[0051] Figures 10A-10D Different layers of electrodes connected by resistive arcs are shown for an electro-active lens with interleaved electrodes.

[0052] Fig.11A Shows that there is Figures 10A-10D Electrodes and resistive arcs in an electro-active lens.

[0053] Fig. 11B Shown for Fig.11A Through-holes and anastomotic electrodes of the electro-active lens. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Electroactive lens with single-layer electrodes

[0055] Figure 1A plan view of an electro-active lens 100 having a single layer of concentric annular or ring-shaped electrodes 5 on a glass substrate is shown. The electrodes 5 are conductive and almost completely transparent. They can be made of indium tin oxide (ITO), silver nanowires, carbon nanotubes, or any other suitable material. The electrodes 5 are patterned photolithographically and separated by thin gaps 10, which are formed when moving along the optical axis (in and out) of the electro-active lens 100. Figure 1 The thin gap is easily transparent when viewed in the plane of the electrode 5. A layer of transparent insulating material (not shown) covers the electrode 5 and fills the gap 10. The insulating layer should be electrically insulating (non-conductive), thin (e.g., 0.25 μm to 0.5 μm thick), and transparent. Suitable materials for the insulating layer include silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) and a transparent photoresist, such as SU-8, but many other suitable materials may be used as long as they are transparent, thin and electrically insulating. The gap 10 and the insulating material electrically isolate the electrodes 5 from each other. The stitching wires 20 located on top of the insulating layer are connected to the electrodes 5 through the through holes 15 patterned in the insulating layer. This allows each stitching wire 20 to connect to the corresponding electrode 5 without also connecting to other electrodes 5 and shorting them out.

[0056] Each of these electro-active lenses 100, 200 also includes a liquid crystal layer and another transparent substrate coated with a ground electrode (not shown) parallel to the plane of the concentric ring electrodes. The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between transparent substrates, which may be coated with an orientation layer to anchor and / or orient the liquid crystal material. Applying a voltage to the concentric ring electrodes 5, 20 generates an electric field that extends into the liquid crystal material. This electric field reorients the liquid crystal material, thereby changing the refractive index of the electro-active lens along the optical axis. Changing the shape and amplitude of the electric field changes the focusing properties of the electro-active lens. For example, if the electric field is curved or shaped like a Fresnel lens, the electro-active lens 100, 200 focuses light. If the electric field is tilted or deflected, the electro-active lens 100 behaves like a prism.

[0057] Unfortunately, the gaps 10 between the concentric ring electrodes 5 introduce gaps, vortices or discontinuities in the electric field. These gaps, vortices or discontinuities prevent the electric field from orienting the liquid crystal material in the desired direction, thereby causing discontinuities in the refractive index profile of the electro-active lens. These discontinuities in the refractive index profile can appear as blurry spots or areas to a person viewing through the electro-active lens.

[0058] In order to obtain better optical performance, the gap 10 between the electrodes 5 should be as narrow as possible. The gap 10 between the photolithographically patterned electrodes 5 on a glass substrate can be as narrow as 1.5 to 2.0 microns. However, such a narrow gap cannot currently be formed on substrates made of polymers and other materials that are commonly used to make eyeglasses, contact lenses, intraocular lenses, and other ophthalmic lenses. For example, Figure 2An electro-active lens 200 is shown in which concentric ring electrodes 220 are patterned photolithographically on a plastic substrate and separated by wider gaps 225. (The anastomosis wires 20 are connected to the respective electrodes 220 by vias in the insulating layer covering the electrodes 220 and the gaps 225.) These gaps 225 between the electrodes 220 are about three times wider than the gaps produced when photolithography is performed on glass (e.g., about 4.5-6.0 μm). Larger gaps 225 degrade the optical performance of the electro-active lens 200 with a plastic substrate.

[0059] Electro-active lens with alternating layers of electrodes

[0060] Reducing or eliminating the apparent gaps between the concentric ring electrodes reduces or eliminates undesirable discontinuities in the electric field applied by the concentric ring electrodes. As a result, the liquid crystal material actuated by the electrodes more completely aligns itself with the electric field. This improves the optical performance of the electro-active lens and reduces or eliminates any blur that is perceptible when viewing through the electro-active lens.

[0061] Figures 3A, 3B, 4 and 5 show concentric ring electrodes that solve the problem of not being able to use plastic lithography to produce electrodes separated by narrow gaps. Figure 3A shows a single layer of concentric ring electrodes 35 separated by very wide gaps 60 (e.g., gaps of about 5 microns wide or wider). Figure 3B shows a second single layer of concentric ring electrodes 40 (the central electrode is circular rather than annular), which are also separated by very wide gaps 65 (again, for example, about 5 microns wide or wider). Figure 4 and 5 There are shown plan and perspective views, respectively, of the two layers of electrodes 35 and 40 stacked on top of each other in a single electro-active lens 400. Both sets of electrodes 35 and 40 are concentrically aligned with the optical axis of the electro-active lens 400.

[0062] Electrode 35 is on the lower layer, and electrode 40 is on the upper layer above the lower layer. (If desired, the lower and upper layers can be staggered in the opposite order.) When viewed along the optical axis of the electro-active lens (i.e., Figure 4 In the plan view in FIG. 1 , each electrode 35 in the lower level appears to be between the corresponding pair of electrodes 40 in the higher level. In other words, the electrodes 35 at the lower level appear to fill the gaps 65 between the electrodes 40 at the higher level, and the electrodes 40 at the higher level appear to fill the gaps 60 between the electrodes 35 at the lower level. If the electrodes 35 and 40 were not as wide as the gaps 60 and 65, it would appear that the electrodes 35 and 40 are not as wide as the gaps 60 and 65. Figure 4 There is a very narrow gap 67 (e.g., a gap of about 1.5-2 microns wide or narrower) between apparently adjacent electrodes 35 and 40 as shown. Even though electrodes 35 and 40 are on a plastic substrate, the apparent gap 67 between electrodes 35 and 40 can be as narrow as a gap that can be formed on a glass substrate.

[0063] Manufacturing tolerances may be considered to ensure that the apparent gap 67 is as thin as possible (i.e., a thinner apparent gap provides better optical performance). Some dimensional tolerances in the photolithography used to pattern the electrodes 35 and 40 may result in deviations in the inner diameter, outer diameter, and / or position of the electrodes. When the upper electrode 40 is formed above the lower electrode 35, dimensional misalignment may also occur.

[0064] If, for example, an overall misalignment of 4 microns is to be expected, but the maximum allowable apparent gap 67 is 2 microns, the diameters of electrodes 35 and 40 may be altered to compensate. In this example, the outer diameter of the lower level electrode may be increased by 2 microns, the inner diameter of the higher level electrode may be decreased by 2 microns, or both the inner and / or outer diameters of the diameters of both sets of electrodes may be altered to compensate.

[0065] In another embodiment, each electrode has an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the next largest adjacent electrode and an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the next smallest adjacent electrode. In other words, each electrode can overlap with its adjacent electrode, for example by 1.5-2.0 μm, to account for misalignment of the electrode layers relative to each other. A small overlap (e.g., about 2.0 μm or less) should not affect the optical performance of the electro-active lens. A larger overlap between adjacent electrodes may cause the electric fields applied by the adjacent electrodes to interfere with or influence each other, which may cause discontinuities or vortices in the net electric field experienced by the liquid crystal and degrade the optical performance of the electro-active lens.

[0066] Figure 4 and 5 Also shown are mating wires 20 that connect electrodes 35 and 40 to a voltage source (not shown) to actuate the electro-active material in electro-active lens 400. In this example, there is one mating wire 20 for each electrode 35 / 40; in other examples, there may be fewer mating wires than electrodes, with resistors (e.g., resistor bridges) connecting sets of adjacent electrodes. Mating wires 20 are deposited on an insulating material (not shown) that covers electrodes 35 and 40 and fills gaps 60 and 65 between electrodes 35 and 40. Mating wires 20 are connected to lower electrode 35 by deeper vias or holes 45 that extend all the way through the insulating material to lower electrode 35, and to upper electrode 40 by shallower vias or holes 50 that extend partway through the insulating material to upper electrode 35.

[0067] Figure 6 A portion of an electro-active lens 400 is shown in cross section. The lower electrode 35 is patterned on the upper surface of the transparent substrate 75. (Direction relative to Figure 6 ) A first insulating layer 80 is coated on top of the lower electrode 35, wherein the upper electrode 40 is patterned on top of the first insulating layer 80. A second insulating layer 85 is coated on top of the upper electrode 40. Figure 6 Only three upper electrodes and three lower electrodes are shown, only one of which has a label. ) Far more than three electrodes may be used per level, e.g., tens to hundreds or thousands of electrodes, with more electrodes generally producing an electro-active lens with better optical quality.

[0068] The double-layer vias 45 are patterned into the insulating layers 80 and 85 to reach the lower electrode 35. The stitching wire 20 delivers power to the lower electrode 35 through the two-layer vias 45, but is not connected to the upper electrode 40. The single-layer vias 50 are patterned into the second insulating layer 85 and do not extend into the first insulating layer 80 or extend through the first insulating layer or connect to any lower electrode 35. The single-layer vias 50 deliver power to the upper electrode 40.

[0069] On top of the mating lines 20 and the second insulating layer 85 is an orientation layer 90. The orientation layer 90 organizes the liquid crystal molecules in the layer 95. Above the liquid crystal layer 95 is a second orientation layer 100. Above the orientation layer 100 is a conductive layer 105, which can serve as a ground plane for actuating the liquid crystal layer 95 in conjunction with the electrodes 35 and 40. Above the conductive layer 105 is a second light-transmitting / transparent substrate 110 (e.g., made of plastic or another transparent polymer). The substrates 75 and 110 sandwich the other layers in between. Although Figure 6 The sides of electro-active lens 400 are shown open, but in practice they are sealed to prevent material (eg, liquid crystal material) from leaking into or out of electro-active lens 400 .

[0070] Electroactive lens with raised resistance bridge and single layer electrodes

[0071] Figure 7 A cross section of a portion of an electro-active lens 700 is shown having an elevated resistance bridge 725 connecting selected concentric ring electrodes 710 arranged in a single layer. The electro-active lens 700 includes concentric ring electrodes 710 (e.g., made of ITO or another transparent conductor) formed as a single layer on a transparent substrate 705 (e.g., a glass or plastic substrate). The concentric ring electrodes are coplanar with each other and concentric around the optical axis of the electro-active lens perpendicular to the plane of the transparent substrate 705. Because the concentric ring electrodes 710 are in the same layer on the substrate 705, they are separated by gaps 715, which can be about 1.5-5.5 microns wide, depending on the substrate material and the resolution of the (photolithographic) process used to form the electrodes 710. The concentric ring electrodes 710 are coated with a layer 720 of insulating material, which can also be disposed in the gaps 715. The resistive bridges 725 on the insulating layer 720 connect the electrodes 710 through through holes or holes 730 in the insulating layer 720.

[0072] Resistor bridge for connecting multiple layers of interleaved electrodes

[0073] Staggering the electrodes in different layers solves the problem of not being able to produce gaps less than 2 microns when photolithographically patterning the electrodes on a plastic substrate. Staggered layers of electrodes can also solve another challenge of electro-active lenses: producing smoother wavefronts using many electrodes with less than one touch line per electrode phase. If an electro-active lens includes one touch line per electrode phase, the electro-active lens may include a large number of touch lines (e.g., hundreds of touch lines), causing at least two problems. First, the touch lines cause visual interference in the electro-active lens; as the number of touch lines increases, the optical performance of the lens deteriorates. Second, as the number of touch lines increases, the complexity of the electronic devices also increases, and the size, weight, power consumption (which reduces battery life), and cost (SWAP-C) of the electronic device packaging also increase. In general, electro-active glasses, contact lenses, and intraocular lenses should be as light and small as possible, but have good battery life and economic cost.

[0074] For better performance, an electro-active lens should have as many electrodes as possible and as few anastomosis wires as possible. One way to reduce the number of anastomosis wires is to use a resistor bridge divider network. However, current resistor bridge designs are limited to a single plane, while the staggered electrode design described here has electrodes in at least two planes.

[0075] Figure 8 and 9 A cross-section and a plan view of an electro-active lens 800 are shown, respectively, in which multiple layers of interlaced electrodes 835, 840 are connected by a resistive bridge 120. The electrodes 835, 840 are interlaced to reduce or eliminate the apparent gaps between the electrodes and any attendant blurring. This electro-active lens 800 includes a first layer of concentric ring electrodes 835 on a transparent substrate 875, which can be made of plastic or glass. The concentric ring electrodes 835 are made of a patterned conductive material (e.g., ITO) and can be separated by relatively wide gaps, for example, gaps of 5.5 microns or more, which are possible by performing photolithography on a plastic transparent substrate. The first layer of concentric ring electrodes 835 is covered with a first layer of insulating material 880, which separates the first layer of concentric ring electrodes 835 from the second layer of concentric ring electrodes 840. This prevents the concentric ring electrodes 835, 840 in different layers from contacting each other and shorting.

[0076] A second layer of insulating material 885 separates the second layer of concentric ring electrodes 840 from a layer of raised resistor bridge 120. The resistor bridge 120 is connected to the concentric ring electrodes 835, 840 in the first and second layers by vias or holes 845, 850 extending through the two insulating layers. Figure 8 and Fig. 9In the cross section of the electro-active lens 800 shown, a single resistor bridge 120 connects all of the concentric ring electrodes 835, 840 to each other, even if the electrodes are in different layers. The innermost electrode 840 and the outermost electrode 835 are connected to the stapling wires 125 and 115, respectively. The resistor bridge 120 can be used to generate a voltage gradient between the stapling wires 125 and 115, as described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 10,599,006 to Van Heugten et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0077] The concentric ring electrodes 835, 840 in the first and second layers are concentric with the optical axis (and each other) and interlaced or staggered. If the concentric ring electrodes are numbered consecutively based on their distance from the optical axis, the first layer includes even-numbered ring electrodes 835 and the second layer includes odd-numbered ring electrodes 840 (or vice versa). The even-numbered ring electrodes 835 are positioned to "fill" the gaps 865 between the corresponding odd-numbered ring electrodes 840, and the odd-numbered ring electrodes 840 are positioned to "fill" the gaps 860 between the corresponding even-numbered ring electrodes 835. In this example, the electrodes 835, 840 and the gaps 860, 865 have the same width, but are aligned so that there is no noticeable gap when viewed through the electro-active lens 800 along the optical axis of the electro-active lens. The gaps 860, 865 between the concentric ring electrodes 835, 840 in the first and second layers can be filled with the same insulating material used to form the insulating layers 880, 885.

[0078] The electro-active lens 800 may include more electrodes and more layers of electrodes (e.g., three layers, where each layer has one-third of the electrodes and is staggered accordingly). Likewise, it may include more resistor bridges, where each resistor bridge is electrically coupled to a plurality of adjacent electrodes (e.g., 5-10 electrodes per resistor bridge). And it may include more stapling wires (e.g., one stapling wire for every 5-10 electrodes). More electrodes generally result in better optical performance.

[0079] The electro-active lens 800 also includes a liquid crystal material enclosed between a transparent substrate 875 and another transparent substrate (not shown). Application of a voltage to the concentric ring electrodes 835, 840 actuates the electro-active lens 800 by changing the liquid crystal orientation and the refractive index profile of the lens. Because there is no significant radial gap between the electrodes 835, 840 when the electro-active lens 800 is viewed along its optical axis, the electric field applied to the liquid crystal material does not suffer from the discontinuities that affect electro-active lenses having a single layer of electrodes.

[0080] A preferred embodiment of the resistance bridge comprises a first layer and a second layer of resistance arcs that are in the same plane as the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, wherein the arc on the first plane is electrically connected to the electrode on the second plane, and the arc on the second plane is electrically connected to the electrode on the first plane. These resistance arcs can be made of the same material as the electrodes and made during the same steps when the electrodes are formed, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process. Electrodes in different planes (layers) can be connected by patterning a series of through holes through the insulating layer at the positions where the resistance bridge should connect electrodes on different levels, and then filling the through holes with conductive material when making the matching line. The electrode acts as an etching stopper for the through hole.

[0081] Figures 10A-10D , 11A and 11B show an electro-active lens having two layers of electrodes connected by an arc or resistive bridge. Fig. 10A and 10B Each shows the electrodes of different layers and the corresponding arcs. Fig. 10A In the embodiment, the resistive arc 145 is patterned as the electrode 130, the resistive arc 150 is patterned as the electrode 135, and the electrode 140 depends on Fig. 10B The resistance arc 180 shown in FIG. Fig. 10B , resistive arc 170 is patterned as electrode 155 , resistive arc 175 is patterned as electrode 160 , and resistive arc 180 is patterned as electrode 165 . Fig. 10C and 10D They are shown respectively Fig. 10A and 10B Close-up of the resistance arc in the .

[0082] Fig.11A shows having stacked Figures 10A-10D A plan view (i.e., a view along the optical axis) of an electro-active lens having two layers of electrodes and arcs. The insulating layer is not shown. Fig. 11B The locations of vias are shown, with vias 190, 192, 194, 195 and 199 electrically connecting the lower level electrodes and resistive arcs to the upper level electrodes and resistive arcs. Fig. 11B Also shown are the stapling wires 115 and 125 that power the electro-active lens 1000. In this configuration, the two stapling wires 115 and 125 power the six electrodes without a raised resistor bridge.

[0083] Fabricating an electro-active lens with interleaved electrode layers

[0084] Figure 6The electro-active lens 400 shown in FIG. 4 can be manufactured using the following process. First, transparent substrates 75 and 110 are coated with a transparent conductive material (e.g., ITO), typically using a sputtering process or one of several other types of thin film deposition processes known to those skilled in the art. If ITO is used, it can be deposited on each substrate to form a transparent conductive layer with a thickness of 5-100 nanometers.

[0085] Electrodes are typically patterned from a conductive layer on one of the substrates using photolithography. (The conductive layer on the other substrate can remain unpatterned and act as a ground plane.) To make the first (lower) electrode layer using a photolithography process, the surface of the conductive layer to be patterned is coated with a photoresist (e.g., using a spin coating process). The photoresist is masked with a patterned mask, exposed with ultraviolet (UV) light, and then developed. The photoresist exposed to UV will then disappear, leaving the unexposed photoresist intact and remaining on the substrate. The remaining photoresist covering the conductive layer will become the segment of the electrode in the first layer electrode. The photoresist does not cover other segments of the conductive layer. For example, these exposed segments are etched away using acid or plasma. After etching, the remaining photoresist is stripped off to leave the patterned electrode. If the transparent substrate is plastic, the minimum feature size of the patterned electrode (e.g., the width of the gap between the electrodes) is typically about 5 microns or larger.

[0086] Next, a first insulating layer is deposited on the patterned electrodes and in the gaps between the patterned electrodes, for example using sputtering or spin coating. A second conductive layer is formed on the first insulating layer and patterned using photolithography to form a second (upper) layer electrode. A second insulating layer is deposited on the upper electrode and in the gaps between the upper electrodes, for example using sputtering or spin coating. Vias or holes are then patterned through the insulating layer using photolithography, where the upper electrode acts as an etch stop for the single layer vias.

[0087] The touch wire can be formed in the same plane as the resistor bridge or in a different plane. For example, the touch wire can be formed by depositing a third layer of conductive material on the second insulating layer and in the through hole, and then photolithographically patterning the conductive material using the process described above for the electrode. In a preferred embodiment, the touch wire is made of a low resistance opaque material such as nickel or aluminum to facilitate a more consistent voltage distribution when using touch wires of different lengths. Other high resistance materials can be used if voltage drop is taken into account when designing the lens and electronics.

[0088] To make a raised resistor bridge, another layer of resistor bridge material is deposited and then photolithographically patterned into the desired shape. The raised resistor bridge can be made of a material with a high resistivity so as to reduce the current between the anastomosing wires to minimize electrical power consumption. Some exemplary materials are ITO or PDOT. The anastomosing wires can be made before the resistor bridge and vice versa.

[0089] The resistive arc bridge may be formed when the electrodes are formed. During the via patterning step, additional vias are formed (during the same process step) to electrically connect the arc bridge to the electrodes on both layers.

[0090] Once the electrodes, touch lines and insulating layers (and possibly the rising resistance bridge) have been formed, an orientation layer is applied to the upper layer of the stack on each substrate, for example by a spin coating process. The orientation layer is rubbed in one direction with a felt cloth or exposed to polarized UV light to define the pre-tilt angle of the liquid crystal material. The two substrates are bonded together, usually separated by transparent spacer beads, to form a cavity. The liquid crystal material is introduced into the cavity, usually by vacuum suction or capillary action. The cavity is sealed to prevent the liquid crystal material, thereby producing a completed electro-active lens.

[0091] The width of the electrodes may vary between 2 mm and 5 microns, and the thickness may vary between 10 nanometers and 150 nanometers. The thickness of the insulating layer may be between 20 nm and 1 micron. The through-holes may have a diameter between 1 and 20 microns and a depth between 20 nm and 1 micron. The width of the anastomosis line may be between 1 micron and 20 microns, and the thickness may be between 10 nm and 1 micron.

[0092] Because electro-active lenses with staggered layer electrodes can tolerate relatively large gaps between electrodes, the electrodes themselves can be made using manufacturing processes, substrates and / or materials with coarser resolution. For example, they can be made on more flexible surfaces using simpler photolithography or inkjet printing. The electrodes in different layers can also be made of different materials. They can also be different shapes and can even overlap when viewed along the optical axis. For example, the rings in the first (second) layer can be wider than the gaps in the second (first) layer.

[0093] in conclusion

[0094] Although various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision various other means and / or structures for performing the functions described herein and / or obtaining the results and / or one or more advantages, and each of such changes and / or modifications is considered to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are intended to be exemplary, and that actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on the specific application in which the inventive teachings are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to determine many equivalents of the specific inventive embodiments described herein using no more than routine experiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented only by way of example, and within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the inventive embodiments may be practiced in other ways than specifically described and claimed. The inventive embodiments of the present disclosure relate to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. In addition, if two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent, any combination of such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods is included within the scope of the invention disclosed herein.

[0095] The above embodiments can be implemented in any of a variety of ways. For example, the design and manufacture of embodiments of the technology disclosed herein can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code can be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in a single computer or distributed among multiple computers.

[0096] Furthermore, it should be appreciated that a computer may be embodied in any of a variety of forms, such as a rack-mounted computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer. Additionally, a computer may be embedded in a device not generally regarded as a computer but having suitable processing capabilities, including a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, or any other suitable portable or fixed electronic device.

[0097] Moreover, the computer may have one or more input and output devices. These devices may be used, in particular, for presenting a user interface. Examples of output devices that may be used to provide a user interface include a printer or display screen for visually presenting output, and a speaker or other sound generating device for audibly presenting output. Examples of input devices that may be used for a user interface include a keyboard and a positioning device, such as a mouse, a touch pad, and a digitizing tablet computer. As another example, a computer may receive input information through speech recognition or in other audible formats.

[0098] Such computers may be interconnected by one or more networks of any suitable form, including local or wide area networks, such as enterprise networks, and intelligent networks (IN) or the Internet. Such networks may be based on any suitable technology and may operate according to any suitable protocol, and may include wireless networks, wired networks, or fiber optic networks.

[0099] The various methods or processes outlined herein (e.g., designing and manufacturing the above disclosed technology) can be encoded as software that can be executed on one or more processors using any of a variety of operating systems or platforms. In addition, such software can be written using any of a number of suitable programming languages ​​and / or programming or scripting tools, and can also be compiled into executable machine language code or intermediate code that is executed on a framework or virtual machine.

[0100] In this regard, various inventive concepts may be embodied as a computer-readable storage medium (or multiple computer-readable storage media) encoded with one or more programs (e.g., computer memory, one or more floppy disks, compact disks, optical disks, tapes, flash memory, circuit configurations in field programmable gate arrays or other semiconductor devices, or other non-transitory media or tangible computer storage media) that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, perform methods that implement the various embodiments of the present invention discussed above. The computer-readable medium may be transportable so that the program stored thereon can be loaded onto one or more different computers or other processors to implement various aspects of the present invention as discussed above.

[0101] The term "program" or "software" is used herein in a general sense to refer to any type of computer code or computer executable instruction set that can be used to program a computer or other processor to implement various aspects of the embodiments as discussed above. In addition, it should be understood that according to one aspect, one or more computer programs that perform the methods of the present invention when executed need not reside on a single computer or processor, but can be distributed in a modular manner among many different computers or processors to implement various aspects of the present invention.

[0102] Computer executable instructions may be in many forms, such as program modules that are executed by one or more computers or other devices. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. Typically, in various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired.

[0103] Moreover, the data structure can be stored in a computer-readable medium in any suitable form. To simplify the description, the data structure can be shown as having fields that are associated by positions in the data structure. Such relationships can also be achieved by allocating storage for the fields, wherein the positions in the computer-readable medium convey the relationships between the fields. However, any suitable mechanism can be used to establish the relationship between the information in the data structure fields, including by using pointers, tags, or other mechanisms that establish relationships between data elements.

[0104] Moreover, various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, examples of which have been provided. The actions performed as part of the methods may be ordered in any suitable manner. Thus, embodiments may be constructed in which the actions are performed in a different order than shown, which may include performing some actions simultaneously, even though shown as sequential actions in the illustrative embodiments.

[0105] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0106] Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, the indefinite articles "a" and "an" as used in this specification and the claims should be understood to mean "at least one".

[0107] The phrase "and / or" as used herein in the specification and claims should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements so combined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with "and / or" should be interpreted in the same manner, i.e., "one or more" of the elements so combined. In addition to the elements specifically identified by the "and / or" clause, other elements may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to those specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, when used in conjunction with open language such as "comprising," a reference to "A and / or B" may refer to only A (optionally including elements other than B) in one embodiment; to only B (optionally including elements other than A) in another embodiment; to both A and B (optionally including other elements) in yet another embodiment; and so on.

[0108] As used herein in the specification and claims, "or" shall be understood to have the same meaning as "and / or" as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" or "and / or" shall be interpreted as inclusive, i.e., including at least one (but also including more than one) of the elements in the several or lists and optionally additional unlisted items. Only terms that clearly indicate the opposite, such as "only one of" or "exactly one of", or when used in the claims, "consisting of..." will refer to including exactly one of the elements in the several or lists. In general, the term "or" used herein shall be interpreted as indicating an exclusive alternative (i.e., "one or the other, but not both") only when preceded by an exclusive term such as "any", "one of", "only one of", or "exactly one of". When used in the claims, "consisting essentially of..." shall have the ordinary meaning used in the field of patent law.

[0109] As used herein in the specification and claims, the phrase "at least one" referring to a list of one or more elements should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one element of each element specifically listed in the list of elements, without excluding any combination of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows for the optional presence of elements other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase "at least one" refers, whether related or unrelated to those specifically identified elements. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or, equivalently, "at least one of A or B", or equivalently, "at least one of A and / or B") may refer to at least one (optionally including more than one) A without B (optionally including elements other than B) in one embodiment; may refer to at least one (optionally including more than one) B without A (optionally including elements other than A) in another embodiment; may refer to at least one (optionally including more than one) B without A (optionally including elements other than A) in yet another embodiment; may refer to at least one (optionally including more than one) A and at least one (optionally including more than one) B (and optionally including other elements); and so on.

[0110] In the claims and in the foregoing specification, all transitional phrases, such as "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," "having," "consisting of," and the like, shall be understood to be open-ended, i.e., meaning including, but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in Section 2111.03 of the U.S. Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures.

Claims

1. An electro-active lens comprising: a first plastic substrate; a second plastic substrate; a liquid crystal material, wherein the liquid crystal material is disposed between the first plastic substrate and the second plastic substrate; first electrodes, the first electrodes being disposed on the first plastic substrate and separated from each other by a first gap of 5 micrometers; an insulating layer, wherein the insulating layer is disposed on the first electrode; as well as Second electrodes are disposed on the insulating layer, separated from each other by a second gap of 5 micrometers, and staggered relative to the first electrodes.

2. The electro-active lens of claim 1, wherein: The first electrode is a first concentric ring electrode and the second electrode is a second concentric ring electrode.

3. The electro-active lens of claim 2, wherein: When viewed along an optical axis of the electro-active lens, the first concentric ring electrodes appear to occupy the second gap, and the second concentric ring electrodes appear to occupy the first gap.

4. The electro-active lens of claim 2, wherein: One of the first concentric ring electrodes has a first inner radius and a first outer radius, and one of the second concentric ring electrodes has a second inner radius that is greater than the first inner radius and less than the first outer radius.

5. The electro-active lens of claim 4, wherein: The insulating layer is a first insulating layer including a first insulating material disposed on the first concentric ring electrodes and in the first gap and electrically isolating the first concentric ring electrodes from each other and from the second concentric ring electrodes.

6. The electro-active lens of claim 5, further comprising: A second insulating material is disposed on the second concentric ring electrodes and in the second gap and electrically isolates the second concentric ring electrodes from each other.

7. The electro-active lens of claim 6, further comprising: A resistive bridge is disposed on the second insulating material and electrically connected to a subset of the first concentric ring electrodes and a subset of the second concentric ring electrodes.

8. The electro-active lens of claim 6, further comprising: a first resistance arc formed on the first plastic substrate and connecting one of the first concentric ring electrodes and one of the second concentric ring electrodes through a first through hole in the first insulating layer; as well as A second resistance arc is formed on the first insulating layer and connects another one of the second concentric ring electrodes with another one of the first concentric ring electrodes through a second through hole in the first insulating layer.

9. An electro-active lens comprising: a first substantially transparent substrate; a first electrode disposed on the first substantially transparent substrate; a first insulating layer, the first insulating layer being disposed on the first electrode; a second electrode, the second electrode being disposed on the first insulating layer; a second insulating layer, wherein the second insulating layer is disposed on the second electrode; as well as A resistive bridge connects one of the first electrodes and one of the second electrodes via a hole patterned in the first insulating layer.

10. The electro-active lens of claim 9, wherein: The first electrodes are radially staggered relative to the second electrodes.

11. The electro-active lens of claim 9, wherein: The first electrode includes a first ring electrode, and the second electrode includes a second ring electrode concentric with the first ring electrode.

12. The electro-active lens of claim 11, wherein: When viewed along the optical axis of the electro-active lens, there is no noticeable gap between the first ring electrode and the second ring electrode.

13. The electro-active lens of claim 11, wherein: The first ring electrode has an outer radius at least equal to an inner radius of the second ring electrode.

14. The electro-active lens of claim 9, wherein: The resistive bridge is a first resistive arc formed in the plane of the first electrode, the aperture is a first aperture, and further comprising: A second resistance arc is formed in a plane of the second electrodes and connects the other of the first electrodes with the other of the second electrodes via a second hole patterned in the first insulating layer.

15. The electro-active lens of claim 9, further comprising: Gaps between adjacent pairs of the first electrodes and gaps between adjacent pairs of the second electrodes.

16. The electro-active lens of claim 15, wherein: At least one of the gaps between the adjacent pairs of the first electrodes is at least 5 microns wide.

17. The electro-active lens of claim 15, further comprising: An insulating material is disposed in the gaps between the adjacent pairs of the first electrodes and in the gaps between the adjacent pairs of the second electrodes.

18. The electro-active lens of claim 9, further comprising: a second substantially transparent substrate; as well as A liquid crystal material is sandwiched between the first substantially transparent substrate and the second substantially transparent substrate to change the focus of the electro-active lens in response to actuation by the first electrode and / or the second electrode.

19. A method of manufacturing an electro-active lens, the method comprising: forming first electrodes on a substantially transparent substrate with a first gap therebetween; A first insulating layer is disposed on the first electrode and in the first gap; forming second electrodes on the first insulating layer that are radially staggered relative to the first electrodes, with second gaps between the second electrodes; disposing a second insulating layer on the second electrode and in the second gap; as well as A staple line is formed, the staple line being connected to at least some of the first electrodes through the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer and / or being connected to at least some of the second electrodes through the second insulating layer.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The substantially transparent substrate is a plastic substrate, and forming the first electrode includes photolithographically patterning the first electrode with a feature size of at least 5 microns.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising: A resistive bridge is formed that is electrically connected to a subset of the first electrodes and a subset of the second electrodes.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein: Forming the resistive bridge includes forming a resistive arc in the plane of the first electrode.

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