Experimental Validation of >1 kHz Electrowetting Modulation

Presented here is an experimental measurement of the switching speed one could expect for electrowetting optics. The switching capabilities of various sized elements are studied through basic electrowetting droplet modulation. The relative size of the droplets can be directly related to the dimensions of pixels or prisms used in arrayed electrowetting optics. Experimental results reported herein confirm that scaling down the liquid volume can potentially provide switching speeds of >1 kHz for elements that are <100 mum in size. The factors that determine switching speed are contact line velocity and damping time for the liquid meniscus oscillation.