High-efficiency Fresnel lens fabricated by axially symmetric photoalignment method

In this study, a Fresnel lens with radial and azimuthal liquid crystal (LC) alignments in the odd and even zones was fabricated using the photoalignment technique based on an azo dye doped in LC cells. The lens has approximately 35% focusing efficiency as determined using a linearly polarized probe beam. In addition, the lens converts the input linear polarization into axially symmetrical polarization at the focal plane. The fabricated Fresnel lens is polarization-independent and has electrically controllable focusing efficiency. Moreover, the far-field pattern of a probe beam through the device placed between the polarizers agrees with the pattern obtained from the simulation.