Modeling of Unwrapped Phase Defects in Modal Liquid Crystal Cylindrical Microlenses

Liquid crystal (LC) lenses have been the subject of research due to their advantage of focal length tunability that brings added value to applications typically based on conventional gradient index lenses. A novel approach for modeling the unwrapped phase defects in modal LC microlenses is presented. For solving the gradual voltage across the lenses, the proposed analytical method uses only circuit theory exploiting partial differential equations and conformal mapping techniques. The LC molecular ordering has been modeled on the basis of the continuum theory and optical response has been deduced through inspection of phase retardations. The model validity has been checked for predicting some defects of the modal microlenses in the phase of the lens design, comparing experimental characterization with simulation.