Evaluation of the Optical Characteristics of the Liquid Crystal Lens Using a Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensor

Although ultrasonically controlled liquid crystal lens may play in important role in future optical systems, many optical properties in the liquid crystal layer are still unclear. Moreover, most of the previously conducted studies control the liquid crystal molecular orientation by an applied electric field using transparent electrodes. In this study, using multichannel piezoelectric transducer, standing wave and traveling wave actuation mechanism were applied to the liquid crystal lens and further reported about its optical characteristics using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. The surface data obtained from the sensor was analyzed and the optical aberrations measured. Traveling wave actuation showed small optical aberrations when compared to the standing wave.