초록
본 논문에서는 4 비트 디지털구동기를 가변초점 유체렌즈에 적용하였다. 4 비트 디지털구동기는 총 16 단계로 렌즈곡면을 조절하여 렌즈의 초점을 변화시킨다. 본 가변초점 유체렌즈는 별도의 정밀 압력 및 유체량 제어기 없이 디지털구동기의 On/Off 제어만으로 렌즈곡면을 ${\pm}200nm$ 의 정밀도로 제어하여 초점거리를 3.63mm에서 38.6mm 까지 조절할 수 있다.
We have designed a digital variable-focal-length liquid lens by using 4-bit actuators. Each bit actuator consists of 1, 2, 4, and 8 unit actuators, squeezes discrete fluidic volume of $2^4$ different levels into the lens The 4-bit digital actuation mode ($b_4b_3b_2b_1$) affords $2_4$ different lens curvatures and focal lengths. The on/off control of the bit actuators helps in solving the main problem associated with analog liquid lenses, i.e., precise control of the pressure or volume of the fluid for changing the lens curvature and focal length. Experimentally, it has been found that the 4-bit actuators allow 0.074 nl (${\pm}0.02\;nl$) of the given fluid per bit to enter the lens and help in increasing the focal length from 3.63 mm to 38.6 mm in $2^4$ different levels; no high-cost controllers are required for precise control of the pressure or volume in this case. Therefore, the present digital liquid lens is more suitable to integrated optical systems by reducing additional component for pressure and volume control.
