Accelerated electrowetting-based tunable fluidic lenses.

One of the limitations in the application of electrowetting-based tunable fluidic lenses is their slow response time. We consider here two approaches for enhancing the response speed of tunable fluidic lenses: optimization of the properties of the fluids employed and modification of the time-dependent actuation voltages. Using a tubular optofluidic configuration, it is shown through simulations how one may take advantage of the interplay between liquid viscosities and surface tension to reduce the actuation time. In addition, by careful designing the actuation pulses, the response speed of both overdamped and underdamped systems may be increased by over an order of magnitude, leading to response times of several ten milliseconds. These performance improvements may significantly enhance the applicability of tunable optofluidic-based components and systems.