Configurable Optical Device with Peripheral Electrodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical devices lack the ability to create spiral diffractive lenses with varying focal lengths using a single passive electrode structure without aliasing, and no device combines two vortex-creating structures in series to emulate various optical lenses with tunable features.
Innovation Solution
A configurable optical device comprising liquid crystal cells with peripherally accessible electrodes, allowing for independent control of electric fields across sections to alter refractive indices and create varying phase profiles, enabling the creation of spiral diffractive lenses and other optical elements with adjustable focal lengths and topological charges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If spatial light modulators are used to create configurable optical devices, then reconfigurability is achieved, but aliasing is present and fill factor is reduced due to pixelated structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical pixelated structure of spatial light modulators with a continuous liquid crystal layer controlled by peripheral electrodes. This substitution eliminates the discrete pixel boundaries that cause aliasing effects, while maintaining the ability to reconfigure optical properties through electric field control of the liquid crystal molecules.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from two-dimensional pixelated control to three-dimensional liquid crystal orientation control. By manipulating the orientation of liquid crystal molecules throughout the entire volume of the cell using peripheral electrodes, the system achieves continuous phase modulation without the spatial discretization limitations of pixelated devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If spatial light modulators are used to create configurable optical devices, then reconfigurability is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase due to electronic components in the active part
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electronic control components from the active optical region and relocates them to the periphery of the liquid crystal cell. The electrodes are positioned only at the edges of the cell, completely removing electronic components from the light path and active area, thereby simplifying the device structure and reducing cost while preserving full reconfigurability.
3Reliability
If conventional lenses are used, then optical focusing is achieved, but focal length is fixed and cannot be adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic lens system where the focal length can be continuously adjusted by changing the voltage applied to the peripheral electrodes. This modifies the electric field distribution across the liquid crystal layer, which in turn changes the molecular orientation and effective refractive index, enabling real-time focal length tuning while maintaining reliable optical focusing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the optical parameters of the lens by modifying the electric field parameters. By varying the voltage applied to the electrodes, the refractive index of the liquid crystal layer is dynamically adjusted, which directly controls the focal length of the lens without changing the physical structure of the device.
4Ease of operation
If electrodes are placed in the active region for control, then independent control is achieved, but light transmission is blocked and fill factor is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electrodes from the active optical region and positions them exclusively at the periphery of the liquid crystal cell. This extraction eliminates the blocking of light by electrode structures in the active area, maximizing the fill factor and light transmission while preserving the ability to apply independent voltages to different regions through the peripheral electrode configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device achieves high fill factor, eliminates aliasing, and can emulate various optical lenses and beam configurations, offering advantages over spatial light modulators in terms of simplicity, cost, and light transmission.
Implementation Method 1
The present invention takes advantage of some of the basic properties of liquid crystals (LCs), specifically the dielectric and optical molecular anisotropy thereof. The fluid nature of LCs combined with the intrinsic dielectric anisotropy thereof implies that, on a macroscopic scale, the material tends to orient itself offering the highest dielectric constant thereof to the applied field.
Implementation Method 2
The present invention takes advantage of some of the basic properties of liquid crystals (LCs), specifically the dielectric and optical molecular anisotropy thereof.
Implementation Method 3
The present invention takes advantage of some of the basic properties of liquid crystals (LCs), specifically the dielectric and optical molecular anisotropy thereof.
Data Source
AI summary
Configurable optical device comprising an optical element (1) or various optical elements (1) arranged in series, wherein each element (1) comprises an active region (2) with an entry surface (21) and an exit surface (22) for light beams, and a perimeter (3); each element (1) comprising at least one first transparent electrode (4) and at least one transparent counter electrode (5) the corresponding electrical connections being located in the perimeter (3); the device being configured such that, upon application of a potential difference between electrodes (4, 5) of each element (1), an electric field that alters the degree of commutation in different regions of the active zone (2) of each element (1) is generated, thus creating a varying optical path profile in each element (1), which allows an incident light beam to be focused in different ways, depending on the electric field applied to each electrode.