Alignment of liquid crystalline materials to surface relief diffractive structures
View Patent ↗An alignment layer may align molecules of a liquid crystalline material to a surface of a substrate having a diffractive optical power region using a nonlinear alignment. The alignment layer may align the molecules of the liquid crystalline material in one of a tangential alignment, a piecewise tangential alignment, a perpendicular alignment, a piecewise perpendicular alignment, a continuous intra-zone alignment, or a piecewise continuous intra-zone alignment. The nonlinear alignment may result in optimal or near optimal alignment of the liquid crystalline material thereby resulting in improved optics and fewer vision compromises.
1. An electro-active lens, comprising:
an ophthalmic lens; and
an electro-active element in optical communication with said ophthalmic lens, comprising:
a first substrate having a diffractive optical power region; and
a first alignment layer disposed on a surface of said substrate having a homogeneous
alignment that is selected from the group consisting of: a tangential alignment, a
piecewise tangential alignment, a perpendicular alignment, a piecewise perpendicular
alignment, an oblique alignment, a piecewise oblique alignment, a continuous intra-zone
alignment, a piecewise continuous intra-zone alignment, and any combination thereof.
2. The electro-active lens of claim 1 , wherein said electro-active element comprises:
a second substrate;
a second alignment layer disposed on a surface of said second substrate; and
a liquid crystalline material disposed between said first and said second alignment layers.
3. The electro-active lens of claim 2 , wherein said liquid crystalline material is selected from the group consisting of:
a nematic liquid crystal,
a cholesteric liquid crystal,
a smectic liquid crystal, a polymer dispersed liquid crystal, and
a polymer stabilized liquid crystal.
4. The electro-active lens of claim 2 , wherein said electro-active element comprises:
a first electrode disposed between said first substrate and said first alignment layer;
a second electrode disposed between said second substrate and said second alignment
layer; and
an insulating layer disposed between said first and said second electrodes.
5. The electro-active lens of claim 2 , comprising:
a first optical element adhesively attached to said first substrate on a surface of said first substrate opposite said surface having said first alignment layer; and
a second optical element adhesively attached to said second substrate on a surface of said second substrate opposite said surface having said second alignment layer.
6. The electro-active lens of claim 1 , wherein said diffractive optical power region comprises diffractive structures.
7. The electro-active lens of claim 1 , wherein the direction of said tangential alignment and said piecewise tangential alignment is clockwise.
8. The electro-active lens of claim 1 , wherein the direction of said tangential alignment and said piecewise tangential alignment is counterclockwise.
9. The electro-active lens of claim 1 , wherein the direction of said perpendicular alignment and said piecewise perpendicular alignment is outward from the center of said diffractive optical power region.
10. The electro-active lens of claim 1 , wherein the direction of said perpendicular alignment and said piecewise perpendicular alignment is inward towards the center of said diffractive optical power region.
11. The electro-active lens of claim 1 , wherein the electro-active element has a first optical power when activated and a second optical power when deactivated.
12. The electro-active lens of claim 11 , wherein said second optical power is substantially zero optical power.
13. The electro-active lens of claim 1 , wherein said ophthalmic lens comprises a progressive optical power region, and wherein at least a portion of said electro-active element is in optical communication with said progressive optical power region.
14. An electro-active element, comprising:
a first substrate having a diffractive optical power region; and
a first alignment layer disposed on a surface of said substrate having a homogeneous alignment that is selected from the group consisting of:
a tangential alignment, a piecewise
tangential alignment, a perpendicular alignment, a piecewise perpendicular alignment, an
oblique alignment, a piecewise oblique alignment, a continuous intra-zone alignment, a
piecewise continuous intra-zone alignment, and any combination thereof.
15. The electro-active element of claim 14 , comprising:
a second substrate;
a second alignment layer disposed on a surface of said second substrate; and
a liquid crystalline material disposed between said first and said second alignment layers.
16. The electro-active element of claim 15 , wherein said liquid crystalline material is selected from the group consisting of:
a nematic liquid crystal,
a cholesteric liquid crystal,
a smectic liquid crystal, a polymer dispersed liquid crystal, and
a polymer stabilized liquid crystal.
17. The electro-active element of claim 15 , comprising:
a first electrode disposed between said first substrate and said first alignment layer;
a second electrode disposed between said second substrate and said second alignment layer; and
an insulating layer disposed between said first and said second electrodes.
18. The electro-active element of claim 15 , comprising:
a first optical element adhesively attached to said first substrate on a surface of said first substrate opposite said surface having said first alignment layer; and
a second optical element adhesively attached to said second substrate on a surface of said second substrate opposite said surface having said second alignment layer.