Liquid-Based Variable Photonic Devices

In this paper, we demonstrated two kinds of variable photonic devices: microlens and phase modulator. Both of them work based on the principle of dielectric-force-induced surface deformation. For each device, we depict its structure as well as the device fabrication processes. Their performances were tested and evaluated using optical microscope. Based on our investigation, such a deformable liquid surface profile is very useful for various photonic applications, such as camera zoom lens, variable optical attenuator, beam steering, and phase modulator.