A backlit transparent display and a transparent display system provide a displayed image while enabling a background scene to be visible through the display. The backlit transparent display includes a light guide, a plurality of scattering elements, and an array of light valves configured to modulate emitted light scattered from the light guide to provide modulated emitted light representing a displayed image. Transparency of the backlit transparent display is configured to enable the background scene to be visible through the backlit transparent display. The transparent display system includes the array of light valves and a transparent backlight. The transparent display system is configured to provide the displayed image as superimposed on the background scene visible through the transparent display system.

A light control system includes a housing, a controllable power source, a light source, and a plurality of cube-shaped tunable prisms. The controllable power source supplies at least four variable voltages. The light source is operable to emit a light beam. The cube-shaped tunable prisms are arranged in a manner so there are no gaps between adjacent tunable prisms. Each tunable prism receives a portion of the emitted light beam, each has a tunable deflection angle that is variable in two dimensions, and each is configured to optically steer the emitted light beam in the two dimensions based on the tunable deflection angle. Each tunable prism is further coupled to receive the four variable voltages. Each tunable prism comprises a liquid that varies the tunable deflection angle in two dimensions in response to the four variable voltages supplied thereto, to thereby deflect the light beam.

A liquid lens can include a cavity between first and second windows, first and second liquids in the cavity, and a variable interface between the liquids, thereby forming a variable lens. The liquid lens can be operable to adjust a shape of the variable interface at an operating temperature less than a melting point of the first liquid. A liquid composition of the first liquid can include at least 65 wt. % water, at most 31 wt. % of a freezing point reducing agent, at most 20 wt. % of an alkali metal salt, a melting point of greater than or equal to −10° C., a viscosity of at most 1.3 cSt, measured at a temperature of 20° C., a refractive index, measured at a wavelength of 589.3 nm, of at most 1.4, and/or an Abbe number of at least 45. A volume of the cavity can be at most 10 μL.

The disclosure provides a method of manipulating droplets in an electro-wetting on dielectric (EWOD) device. Electro-wetting electrodes of the EWOD device are selectively actuated to: cause first and second droplets in a fluid medium in the fluid chamber of the EWOD device to contact each other to form a droplet interface bilayer, the first droplet containing fluid of a first composition including a first solute species and the second droplet containing fluid of a second composition different to the first composition, maintain the first and second droplets contacting each other to maintain the droplet interface bilayer and thereby allow the first solute species to pass from the first droplet to the second droplet via the DIB; and cause the first droplet to separate from the second droplet. This method aspect results in transfer of solute from the first droplet to the second droplet. This provides a convenient way of altering the concentration of a particular component or components in a fluid droplet within an EWOD device. This allows, for example, an undesired solute species to be extracted from a reaction droplet or the undesired solute species to be diluted in the reaction droplet before the droplet undergoes further reaction steps.

Provided is an electronic image device, which includes a barrel-shaped container, a conductive liquid, an insulating liquid, an electronic image element, a light-transmissive window, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a voltage source. The conductive liquid and the insulating liquid have the same density and different optical refractive indices, are immiscible with each other, and are filled into the barrel-shaped container. The electronic image element is disposed at a first end of the barrel-shaped container and in contact with the conductive liquid. The light-transmissive window is disposed at a second end of the barrel-shaped container and in contact with the insulating liquid. The first electrode is in contact with the conductive liquid and the second electrode forms a capacitive coupling with the conductive liquid. A variable voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Exemplary reflective display components are described. These reflective display components may include a microwell layer having a first and a second quantum dot well that each include a plurality of nanoparticles configured to emit a color of light. The microwell layer further has a third well. The reflective display components further include an electrowetting layer positioned above the microwell layer, where the electrowetting layer is operable to independently adjust an intensity of light emitted from the first and second quantum dot wells and the third well in the microwell layer.

A driving circuit, a driving method and a microfluidic substrate are provided. The driving circuit includes a first switching unit, a second switching unit, a reset unit, a first capacitor, and a second capacitor. In a first stage of a driving process of the driving circuit, the first switching unit is turned on, a first voltage signal is transmitted to a first node, the second switching unit is turned on, a second voltage signal is input to an output terminal of the driving circuit, and the driving circuit outputs an AC signal. In a second stage of the driving process, the first switching unit is turned off, the valid signal output by the second scan signal terminal controls the reset unit to be turned on, a third voltage signal is input to the output terminal of the driving circuit for reset, and the driving circuit outputs a DC signal.

A variable focal length optical element including a light-transmitting layer, a cover, a gel, a piezoelectric film, and a driving electrode is provided. The cover has a first through hole to define a light-passing area. The cover, an adhesive layer, and the light-transmitting layer surround and form a first cavity together, and the gel is filled in the first cavity. The driving electrode is configured to drive the piezoelectric film, so that the piezoelectric film is deformed to pull the light-transmitting layer to bend and deform to squeeze the gel in the first cavity, and thereby controls a curvature change of an optical surface formed in the light-passing area by the gel protruding out from the first through hole.

A digital microfluidic (DMF) system based on an electrowetting-on-dielectric mechanism includes a substrate, and at least one dielectric layer comprising diamond-like carbon over the substrate. The DMF system also includes a plurality of electrodes connected to the dielectric layer. A voltage source is selectively couplable to different electrodes of the plurality of electrodes.

A liquid lens system includes first and second liquids disposed within a cavity. An interface between the first and second liquids defines a variable lens. A common electrode is in electrical communication with the first liquid. A driving electrode is disposed on a sidewall of the cavity and insulated from the first and second liquids. A controller supplies a common voltage to the common electrode and a driving voltage to the driving electrode. A voltage differential between the common voltage and the driving voltage is based at least in part on at least one of: (a) a first reference capacitance of a first reference electrode pair disposed within the first portion of the cavity and insulated from the first liquid or (b) a second reference capacitance of a second reference electrode pair disposed within the second portion of the cavity and insulated from the first liquid and the second liquid.