Optical Properties of a Liquid Crystal Microlens with a Symmetric Electrode Structure

Abstract

A disclination line or a shifting effect of the lens center had been observed in a homogeneously aligned or a hybrid-aligned liquid crystal microlens with an asymmetric electrode structure of a hole-patterned electrode and a plane electrode. These deteriorating factors of lens properties can be eliminated by a homogeneously aligned liquid crystal microlens with hole patterned electrodes on both substrates. The lens properties are exceedingly improved and the focused light intensity becomes several times stronger than those of hitherto prepared liquid crystal microlenses.