Tunable liquid crystal lens with raised trapezoidal electrodes

Tunable liquid crystal (LC) lenses are expected to have potential applications in image processing, optical communication, machine vision and 2D/3D switchable display due to their advantages of compact structure, low power consumption, good stability, and simple fabrication. However, the high operating voltage of tunable liquid crystal lens has been a significant technical barrier to practical applications and commercialization. In this paper, we propose a tunable liquid crystal lens with raised trapezoidal electrodes and simulate the distribution of electric field and the liquid crystal molecules using software of TechWiz LCD 3D. In addition, we compare and analyze the influence of cell gap, electrode height, trapezoidal angles and electrode width and spacing ratio on operating voltage of tunable liquid crystal lens. Simulation results show that the operating voltage of liquid crystal lens can be less than 10 V when the cell gap is 10 mu m. Tunable liquid crystal lens with raised trapezoidal electrode has lower operating voltage than that with planar electrode under the condition of the same focal length range and the operating voltage is reduced by 35.8%. Furthermore, the operating voltage of tunable liquid crystal lens with raised trapezoidal electrodes can be the lowest, when the electrode height takes up 40% of the cell gap, the angle of trapezoidal electrode is 60 degrees, electrode width and spacing ratio is 100 : 50.