Liquid Tunable Lenses

The compact EL-3-10 lens is designed for OEM integration into optical systems for various applications. The working principle is based on the well-established shape-changing lens technology. The curvature of the lens is adjusted by applying an electrical current. Thereby, the focal length is tuned to a desired value within very few milliseconds. The lens architecture is “push pull” which means that the lens curvature is deflected from concave to convex. With actuators based on proven voice-coil technology, the EL-3-10 focus tunable lens is extremely reliable and robust, well suited even for applications in harsh environments over large temperature ranges.

Key advantages:

• Fast response time <1ms
• Large focal power range of 26 diopters
• Lower power, typically <15mW

Applications

Optotune’s EL-3-10 is the ideal choice for:

• Imaging up to 1/1.8” sensors
• Biometric systems
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
• Laser illumination

Design faster and more compact optical systems without complex mechanics using the electrically focus tunable lens EL-10-30-TC. By applying a current, the focal length of the 10 mm aperture lens can be tuned to a specific value in milliseconds. Thanks to an integrated temperature sensor and characterization data, the lens can be driven to precise focal powers using Optotune’s lens controllers. The EL-10-30-TC is available with two broadband coating options, VIS for 400-700nm and NIR for 700-1100nm.

For focal powers closer to 0 dpt Optotune’s EL-12-30-TC delivers similar performance in a more compact form factor.

Applications

Optotune’s EL-10-30-TC is the ideal choice for:

• Machine vision
• Microscopy
• Atom trapping
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

Design faster and more compact optical systems without complex mechanics using the electrically focus tunable lens EL-10-30-C. By applying a current of 0 to 300mA, the focal length of the 10 mm aperture lens can be tuned to a specific value within milliseconds. The EL-10-30-C features threads on either side for easy mounting as well as the possibility to replace the cover glass with a fixed focus offset lens, allowing for free adjustment of the focal length range according to the requirements of your application.

The EL-10-30-C has two main optical configurations:

1. The basic configuration has planar cover glasses and a focal power range of 5 to 10 dpt, making this the best choice for macro imaging.
2. The “MV” configuration is optimized for the most common machine vision applications. It contains a negative offset lens so that the over all focal power range range goes from -1.5 to 3.5 dpt, making it the ideal choice for combinations with infinity corrected objective lenses.

Applications

Optotune’s EL-10-30-C is the ideal choice for:

• Machine vision
• Microscopy
• Biometric systems
• Metrology

The electrically focus-tunable lens EL-10-42-OF with integrated proprietary optical feedback (OF) is dedicated to 2.5D and 3D laser applications. It sets the highest standards in terms of spot quality and speed.

With a focus tuning range of -2.0 to +2.0 diopters, a constant laser spot can be controlled over a large range along the z-axis (up to 250mm), with a long term repeatability of <0,02 dpt.

The EL-10-42-OF comes in two versions, one designed for use in the NIR (950-1100nm) up to 50 W, the other for the visible (532 nm) up to 20 W.

Applications

Optotune’s EL-10-42-OF is the ideal choice for a range of laser applications where reliable beam focusing in 3D volumes is a must:

• Laser marking and engraving
• Laser cleaning, welding, drilling
• Micromachining
• Medical, Ophthalmology (OCT)
• 3D-printing, additive manufacturing
• Laser projection templating

Building on customer feedback and learnings from over a decade, we are proud to present Optotune’s most effective liquid lens, the EL-12-30-TC. Redesigned from the ground up, it makes use of the latest materials and manufacturing technologies to provide best performance in a compact form-factor.

The tunable lens can be shaped from a flat zero-state into a plano-concave or plano-convex lens, resulting in a focal power range of -6 to +10 diopters (at -250 to +250mA).

The new lens design has been optimized for fast response times and low thermal sensitivity. Cover glasses are AR-coated for 420 to 950nm.

Key advantages:

• Slim housing that adds only 5.8mm in optical axis
• Fast rise & settling times of 3ms & 10ms
• Low temperature sensitivity <0.01dpt/°C
• Low power consumption of 55mW for a 5 diopter range

Applications

Optotune’s EL-12-30-TC is the ideal choice for:

• Machine vision
• Microscopy
• Iris recognition
• Intra-oral scanners
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

With a clear aperture of 16mm Optotune presents the world‘s largest electrically focus tunable lens bringing fast and reliable focus control to high end applications.

Based on the well-established shape-changing lens technology, the EL-16-40-TC can be shaped from a flat zero-state into a plano-concave or plano-convex lens, resulting in a focal tuning range of up to -10 to +10 diopters (at -250 to +250mA).

Response & settling times are 5 & 25ms, respectively, which is magnitudes faster than most mechanical alternatives. Thanks to the robust VCM actuated design the lens can run at high frequencies and performs reliably over billions of cycles.

The design was optimized to minimize thermal drift effects to as little as 0.02 dpt/°C and with the built in temperature sensor, an overall reproducibility of typically +/- 0.05 diopters is achievable.

Key advantages:

• Large clear aperture of 16mm
• Fast response time of 5ms
• High repeatability of typically +/- 0.05 dpt
  

Configurations

The EL-16-40-TC is available in its compact form for OEM integration but also with multiple thread adapters and a robust Hirose connector for industrial use, where the tunable lens can be easily combined with off-the-shelf imaging lenses.

Two different membrane configurations allow for a focal power range of 5 and 20 dpt, respectively, and cover glasses are available for VIS & NIR coatings.

Applications

Optotune’s EL-16-40-TC is the ideal choice for:

• Machine vision
• Microscopy
• Refraction correction in ophthalmic devices

The Optotune ML-20-37 manually focus-tunable lens features a 20mm clear aperture and is designed to have its lens curvature change between convex (+18 dpt), flat (0 dpt) and concave (-18 dpt) by the rotation of the outer adjustment ring. The rotation mechanism is extremely durable (>100’000 rotations), linear and low in torque, allowing for reliable motorization that reaches a repeatability of typically 0.1 dpt.

The ML-20-37 is available with and without C-mount adapter.

Key advantages:

• Large optical power range of 36 dpt
• Zero holding power
• Easy to motorize

Applications

Optotune’s ML-20-37 is the ideal choice for:

• Ophthalmology
• Virtual reality headsets
• LED illumination
• Beam expanders
• Education