Double-layer electrode for electro-optic liquid crystal lens
View Patent ↗Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, apparatus, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a process, method, and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, generating a gradient in an index of refraction of a material.
1. An electro-optic device comprising:
a first electrode structure comprising:
a first electrode layer comprising a concentric first plurality of electrode rings, each adjacent pair of electrode rings from said first plurality of electrode rings separated by a corresponding first layer separator from a concentric plurality of first layer separators; and
a second electrode layer comprising a concentric second plurality of electrode rings, each adjacent pair of electrode rings from said second plurality of electrode rings separated by a corresponding second layer separator from a concentric plurality of second layer separators;
wherein:
said second electrode layer is configured to be operably conductively unconnected to an electrical power source;
said first electrode layer is positioned parallel to said second layer;
a rotational axis of the first electrode layer is co-incident with a rotational axis of the second electrode layer; and,
when viewed from a point along the rotational axis, an electrode ring from the first layer is not optically aligned with a spatially nearest electrode ring of the second layer.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode layer is separated from said second electrode layer by an insulating layer.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode layer is separated from said second electrode layer by a contiguous insulating layer.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode layer is separated from said second electrode layer by an insulating layer formed from silicon dioxide.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode layer is electrically insulated from said second electrode layer.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each of said concentric first plurality of electrode rings is adapted to be individually controlled.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each of said concentric plurality of first layer separators is from approximately 0.1 micrometers to approximately 10 micrometers wide.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said concentric first plurality of electrode rings is formed from indium tin oxide.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode layer is electrically coupled to a power supply via a first bus, and said second electrode layer is electrically coupled to a power supply via a second bus.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode structure is adapted to border a liquid crystal.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode structure is adapted to create a voltage gradient across a liquid crystal.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode structure is adapted to create an index of refraction gradient in an adjacent liquid crystal material.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode structure is adapted to electrically co-operate with a second electrode structure to generate an electric field.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode structure and a second electrode structure border a liquid crystal material, said first electrode structure and said second electrode structure adapted to electrically co-operate to generate an electric field across said liquid crystal material.
15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode structure and a second electrode structure border a liquid crystal material, said first electrode structure and said second electrode structure adapted to electrically co-operate to generate a radially varying electric field across said liquid crystal material.
16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode structure and a second electrode structure border a liquid crystal material, said first electrode structure and said second electrode structure adapted to electrically co-operate to generate a radial gradient in an index of refraction in said liquid crystal material.
17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electrode structure is adapted to form a spherical lens.
18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first layer separators are insulating rings.
19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first layer separators are gaps.
20. A method comprising:
in an electro-optic device comprising a first electrode structure comprising:
a first electrode layer comprising a concentric first plurality of electrode rings, each adjacent pair of electrode rings from said first plurality of electrode rings separated by a corresponding first layer separator from a concentric plurality of first layer separators; and
a second electrode layer comprising a concentric second plurality of electrode rings, each adjacent pair of electrode rings from said second plurality of electrode rings separated by a corresponding second layer separator from a concentric plurality of second layer separators;
wherein:
said second electrode layer is configured to be operably conductively unconnected to an electrical power source;
said first electrode layer is positioned parallel to said second layer;
a rotational axis of the first electrode layer is co-incident with a rotational axis of the second electrode layer; and,
when viewed from a point along the rotational axis, an electrode ring from the first layer is not optically aligned with a spatially nearest electrode ring of the second layer,
to each of said electrode rings from said first plurality of electrode rings, applying a predetermined voltage, an amplitude of said predetermined voltage unique to each of said electrode rings from said first plurality of electrode rings.