Liquid crystal lens with corrected wavefront asymmetry.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Electrically variable liquid crystal lenses (LVCLs) are crucial for adaptive optics.
• Small-diameter LVCLs often suffer from inherent wavefront asymmetry, limiting their performance.
• Ground-state anisotropy in liquid crystals can induce optical aberrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple technique for correcting wavefront asymmetry in small-diameter LVCLs.
• To investigate the impact of electrode modification on optical aberrations.
• To enhance the imaging quality of LVCLs.

Main Methods:

• A peripheral hole-patterned electrode of the LVCL was split along the ground-state anisotropy axis.
• Optical aberrations were measured using interferometry before and after electrode modification.
• Further segmentation of the peripheral electrode was employed to address residual aberrations.

Main Results:

• The proposed electrode splitting significantly corrected inherent wavefront asymmetry.
• A trade-off was observed, with an initial increase in trefoil aberration in the split direction.
• Subsequent electrode segmentation successfully eliminated the induced trefoil aberration.

Conclusions:

• Splitting the peripheral electrode is an effective method for correcting wavefront asymmetry in small LVCLs.
• The technique offers a viable solution for improving the optical quality of adaptive lenses.
• Further electrode segmentation ensures complete aberration correction, enhancing LVCL applications.