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MEMS Varifocal Optical Elements for Focus Control.

Chen Liu^1,2,3, Tong Wang^1,2,3, Xin Wang^1,2,3

¹Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology and Systems, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.

|April 26, 2025

Summary

Miniaturized optical systems require advanced focus control. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) varifocal optical elements offer a solution, reviewed here for their mechanisms, performance, and applications.

Keywords:

MOEMS focus control micro-optical system tunable lens varifocal mirror

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Area of Science:

Optics and Photonics
Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)

Background:

Miniaturization is a key trend in microelectronic devices, especially for optical systems.
Traditional focus tuning methods hinder optical system miniaturization due to bulk and complexity.
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) varifocal optical elements are crucial for developing compact optical systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the literature on MEMS varifocal optical elements over the past two decades.
To categorize MEMS varifocal optical elements based on their light control mechanisms.
To introduce a novel indicator for evaluating and comparing their performance.

Main Methods:

Literature review of MEMS varifocal optical elements from the last 20 years.
Classification of elements into reflective varifocal mirrors, varifocal microlenses, and phased varifocal mirrors.
Introduction of a new performance evaluation indicator.

Main Results:

Identified three main categories of MEMS varifocal optical elements.
Presented a novel indicator for comparative performance analysis.
Discussed diverse applications of these miniaturized optical components.

Conclusions:

MEMS varifocal optical elements are vital for miniaturized optical systems.
The review provides a comprehensive overview and a new evaluation metric.
This work serves as a valuable reference for researchers and engineers in the field.