A transparent optical element includes a primary electrode, a secondary electrode overlapping at least a portion of the primary electrode, an electroactive layer disposed between and abutting the primary electrode and the secondary electrode, and a control system operably coupled to at least one of the primary electrode and the secondary electrode and adapted to provide a drive signal to actuate the electroactive layer within an aperture of the transparent optical element.

A transparent optical element includes a primary electrode, a secondary electrode overlapping at least a portion of the primary electrode, an electroactive layer disposed between and abutting the primary electrode and the secondary electrode, and a control system operably coupled to at least one of the primary electrode and the secondary electrode and adapted to provide a drive signal to actuate the electroactive layer within an aperture of the transparent optical element.

A color converter device includes an array of color conversion regions. The array of color conversion regions includes color conversion regions of a first type and color conversion regions of a second type that is distinct from the color conversion regions of the first type. A respective color conversion region of the array of color conversion regions includes a respective photonic crystal structure defining a respective two-dimensional pattern. The respective color conversion region includes a respective color conversion matrix. The color conversion regions of the first type converts light of a first color into light of a second color that is distinct from the first color and the color conversion regions of the second type converts the light of the first color into light of a third color that is distinct from the first color and the second color.

An example system includes a high-side electrode layer including a number of discrete electrodes and a low-side electrode layer. The system further includes an electro-optic (EO) layer including an EO active material positioned between the high-side electrode layer and the low-side electrode layer, thereby forming a number of active cells of the EO layer. Each of the number of active cells of the EO layer includes a portion of the EO layer that is positioned between one of the discrete electrodes and the low-side electrode layer. The example system further includes an insulator operationally coupled to the active cells of the EO layer, and at least partially positioned between a first one of the active cells and a second one of the active cells.

Polarization-independent focusing is advantageously achieved by a multifocal system having a polarization beam splitter (PBS) to split an unpolarized light beam into two orthogonally linearly-polarized (LP) light beams. The two LP light beams are reflected by mirrors to travel in opposite directions and enter into a variable-focusing module at two ends thereof, respectively. The module includes waveplates to convert the LP light beams into two circularly-polarized (CP) light beams at both ends of an optical assembly. The optical assembly is formed with a stack of birefringent optical elements including at least one geometric phase lens and one polarization selector that may be electrically modulated to select the optical power in focusing the two CP light beams. Followed by the waveplates converting two focused CP light beams to two focused LP light beams and upon mirror reflection, the beams are finally recombined by the PBS to form one focused light beam.

Polarization-independent focusing is advantageously achieved by a multifocal system having a polarization beam splitter (PBS) to split an unpolarized light beam into two orthogonally linearly-polarized (LP) light beams. The two LP light beams are reflected by mirrors to travel in opposite directions and enter into a variable-focusing module at two ends thereof, respectively. The module includes waveplates to convert the LP light beams into two circularly-polarized (CP) light beams at both ends of an optical assembly. The optical assembly is formed with a stack of birefringent optical elements including at least one geometric phase lens and one polarization selector that may be electrically modulated to select the optical power in focusing the two CP light beams. Followed by the waveplates converting two focused CP light beams to two focused LP light beams and upon mirror reflection, the beams are finally recombined by the PBS to form one focused light beam.

The Kerr effect depends very strongly on the temperature and is associated with high operating voltages. The present invention relates to an electrically controllable optical element which comprises a cell (D) filled with a starting mixture (K) and having two substrates (1a, 1b) and a conductive layer (2a, 2b) applied onto the inner surface of the respective substrate (1a, 1b), wherein the starting mixture (K) comprises a mixture of dipolar, rod-shaped molecules (5) and semi-mesogenes (4) as active constituents, and wherein the starting mixture (K) forms a thin layer having a wide-meshed, anisotropic network (9) produced by photo-polymerization between the structured or/and flat conductive layers (2a, 2b), which are applied onto a substrate (1a, 1b), in a thin-film cell (D). According to the invention, an optically active surface profile (O) is incorporated on the inner surface of a substrate (1a or 1b) or into the substrate (1a or 1b) or both substrates (1a and 1b).

The Kerr effect depends very strongly on the temperature and is associated with high operating voltages. The present invention relates to an electrically controllable optical element which comprises a cell (D) filled with a starting mixture (K) and having two substrates (1a, 1b) and a conductive layer (2a, 2b) applied onto the inner surface of the respective substrate (1a, 1b), wherein the starting mixture (K) comprises a mixture of dipolar, rod-shaped molecules (5) and semi-mesogenes (4) as active constituents, and wherein the starting mixture (K) forms a thin layer having a wide-meshed, anisotropic network (9) produced by photo-polymerization between the structured or/and flat conductive layers (2a, 2b), which are applied onto a substrate (1a, 1b), in a thin-film cell (D). According to the invention, an optically active surface profile (O) is incorporated on the inner surface of a substrate (1a or 1b) or into the substrate (1a or 1b) or both substrates (1a and 1b).

A beam scanning apparatus includes a light source configured to emit light, and a reflective phased array device configured to reflect the light emitted from the light source and incident on the reflective phased array device, and electrically adjust a reflection angle of the reflected light reflected by the reflective phased array device, wherein the light source and the reflective phased array device are disposed such the light is incident on the reflective phased array device at an incidence angle with respect to a normal of a reflective surface of the reflective phased array device.

An optical device is described. At least a portion of the optical device includes lithium niobate and is fabricated utilizing ultraviolet lithography. In some aspects the at least the portion of the optical device is fabricated using deep ultraviolet lithography. In some aspects, the short range root mean square surface roughness of a sidewall of the at least the portion of the optical device is less than ten nanometers. In some aspects, the at least the portion of the optical device has a loss of not more than 2 dB/cm.