IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,470,937
Granted Patent B2
US 9,470,937 · App. 15/044,365 · Granted Oct 18, 2016

Double-layer electrode for electro-optic liquid crystal lens

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,470,937
App. No.
15/044,365
Granted
Oct 18, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

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.

Claims (63)

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 first electrode layer is positioned parallel to said second layer;

said first electrode layer is conductively connected to a first power source and said second electrode layer is not conductively connected to any power source;

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 second electrode layer is electrically coupled to said first electrode layer via capacitance.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said second electrode layer is electrically coupled to said first electrode layer via inductance.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said second electrode layer is capacitively powered via said first electrode layer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said second electrode layer is inductively powered via said first electrode layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said first electrode layer is separated from said second electrode layer by an insulating layer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said first electrode layer is separated from said second electrode layer by a contiguous insulating layer.

8. 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.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said first electrode layer is electrically insulated from said second electrode layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

each of said concentric plurality of first layer separators is adapted to be individually controlled.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said concentric plurality of first layer separators is formed via photolithography.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said concentric plurality of first layer separators is formed from indium tin oxide.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said first electrode layer is conductively coupled to the first power source via a first bus.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said first electrode structure is adapted to border a liquid crystal.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said first electrode structure is adapted to create a voltage gradient across a liquid crystal.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said first electrode structure is adapted to form a spherical lens.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said first layer separators are insulating rings.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

said first layer separators are gaps.

24. 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 first electrode layer is positioned parallel to said second layer;

said first electrode layer is conductively connected to a first power source and said second electrode layer is not conductively connected to any power source;

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.