Tunable liquid-filled lens integrated with aspherical surface for spherical aberration compensation

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Conventional liquid-filled lenses suffer from spherical aberration, limiting their optical performance.
• Fabrication of aspherical surfaces in liquid-filled lenses is challenging with standard methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel liquid-filled lens design incorporating an aspherical surface.
• To compensate for spherical aberration and improve optical quality in liquid-filled lenses.
• To retain the focal length tunability characteristic of liquid-filled lenses.

Main Methods:

• Integration of high precision single point diamond turning (SPDT) into soft lithography.
• Fabrication of a custom aspherical surface at one end of the lens.
• Utilization of a deformable elastic membrane at the other lens end.
• Performance evaluation using lateral shearing interferometry.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of a liquid-filled lens with an aspherical surface.
• Demonstrated compensation for spherical aberration, leading to improved optical quality.
• Preservation of high focal length tunability via the elastic membrane.
• Proof of concept validated through experimental interferometry.

Conclusions:

• The novel liquid-filled lens design effectively mitigates spherical aberration.
• Optimized aspherical surface contours allow for tailored performance in specific working regions.
• The design offers a promising approach for advanced tunable optical systems.