Non-elastic membrane dual-actuation liquid lens for continuous focus and zoom

Miniaturization is crucial for technological advancement and innovation. Simplifying systems, reducing device size, and integrating multiple functions remain limiting factors for the miniaturization of optical imaging systems. Liquid lenses offer compact structure, fast response, and no mechanical parts, demonstrating potential for miniaturized imaging and rapid focusing. However, existing designs focus primarily on single-focus function, failing to simultaneously achieve fast continuous focusing, zoom capability, and reliable sealing in practical applications. This has resulted in limitations to the full realisation of its unique advantages, significantly restricting its application prospects in scenarios such as micro-visualisation and mobile imaging terminals. To address the issue, this study presents a compact dual-actuation multifunctional liquid lens. For the first time, a non-membrane, sealed dual-cavity design is employed to integrate both focusing and zoom functions into a single device. The lens employs two actuation modes-electrowetting-on-dielectric and electromagnetic induction-to adjust the curvature and axial position of the liquid-liquid interface, enabling an integrated compact lens that can be controlled entirely by electrical signals. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed lens achieves continuous focusing with 100 ms response time and provides smooth zoom from 1× to 1.5×, together with high resolution and stable imaging quality. With its simple architecture and integrated functions, the proposed liquid lens overcomes the functional and packaging limitations of traditional non-membrane liquid lenses. By combining focusing and zooming in one element, it further reduces the complexity of imaging systems and shows strong potential for applications in microscopy, optical inspection, and intelligent vision devices.