Bioinspired solid–liquid mixed tunable lens with multilayered structure

Abstract

A solid–liquid mixed tunable lens with multilayered structure is proposed. The designed lens utilizes a solid-state elastic polymer, optical liquid, and glass as the optical medium, and adjusts the focus by changing the surface curvature of the elastic polymer. The integrated structure of the tunable lens is presented, as well as detailed descriptions of the lens materials, fabrication, and assembling process. Images captured through the tunable lens under different displacement loads are presented, and the relationship among the displacement load, curvature radius, and effective focal length is analyzed. Additionally, the optical property of the tunable lens is simulated using the ZEMAX software. A change in focal length from 14.8 mm to 30 mm is demonstrated within the tiny 0.12 mm variation of the displacement load. Numerical analyses show that the lens distortion is less than 2%, and the modulation transfer function reaches 67 line pairs per mm. The solid–liquid mixed tunable lens shows the potential for developing a compact, low-aberration, and stable optical system.