Fluidic optical devices

1. An electrostatically actuated fluidic device, that is capable of providing a variable focal length lens, comprising:

an elastic capacitor section;

an elastic lens section in fluid communication with the capacitor section, the elastic lens section being characterized by a focal length;

a fluid capable of fluid motion disposed at least partially in the capacitor and lens sections;

wherein a voltage may be applied to the capacitor section causing it to deform;

wherein the deformation of the capacitor section causes a portion of the fluid to flow into the lens section;

wherein increase in volume of fluid in the lens section causes it to deform resulting in a variation in the focal length of the lens section.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured as a variable lens, variable diffractive optic, variable optical phase delay or variable iris.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured as an autofocus lens, zoom lens or image stabilization device.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the fluid is transparent.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the fluid absorbs infrared light.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the lens portion includes an annular reservoir defined by inner and outer walls that surround an aperture.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the fluid fills the aperture and reservoir.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the inner wall includes one or more channels formed in the inner to provide fluid communication between the aperture and the reservoir.

9. The device of claim 8 , further comprising a substrate and a transparent compliant membrane, wherein the substrate includes a first optical surface and the membrane includes a second optical surface, wherein the membrane covers the aperture and the reservoir such that the fluid is enclosed between the membrane and the substrate, wherein the aperture and reservoir and fluid are disposed between the membrane and the substrate.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the membrane is configured to elastically deform in response to displacement of the fluid, wherein the elastic deformation of the membrane changes a focusing power of the device.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the membrane is transparent, reflective, opaque or diffractive.

12. The device of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the substrate is made of a rigid transparent material.

13. The device of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the substrate is transparent, reflective, opaque or diffractive.

14. The device of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the substrate is made of an elastic material.

15. The device of claim 8 , wherein the elastic capacitor section comprises one or more lower electrodes formed on the substrate proximate the reservoir and one or more corresponding upper electrodes formed on the membrane proximate the reservoir.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the fluid and membrane are configured such that, with no voltage applied between the lower electrodes, the membrane is in a first state wherein it is substantially planar and the first and second optical surfaces are substantially parallel to each other.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein the membrane, reservoir, aperture, fluid and electrodes are configured such that when a voltage is applied between the lower and upper electrodes, electrostatic forces between the upper and lower electrodes push part of the membrane into the reservoir thereby forcing fluid from reservoir into the optical aperture causing the membrane to deform into a second state in such a way that changes a curvature of one or more of the first and second optical surfaces.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein a voltage can be applied to the device such that the device can be continuously and repeatedly controlled between first and second states.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the elastic properties of the membrane are such that, when the voltage is removed the membrane provides a restoring force which returns the device to its first state.