Tunable liquid crystal cylindrical micro-optical array for aberration compensation

A tunable aberration compensation device for rectangular micro-optical systems is proposed and demonstrated. This device, which is based in nematic liquid crystal and a micro-electrode structure, forms gradients in the index of refraction as a function of voltage. We have developed a fringe skeletonizing application in order to extract the 3D wavefront from an interference pattern. This software tool obtains the optical aberrations using Chebyshev polynomials. By using phase shifted electrical signals the aberrations can be controlled independently. A complete independent control over the spherical and coma aberration has been demonstrated. Also, an independent control over the astigmatism aberration has been demonstrated in a broad range. This device has promising applications where aberration compensation is required. The independent compensation achieved for some coefficients, such as astigmatism for example, is more than 2.4 waves.