Open AccessDepth-extended integral imaging system based on a birefringence lens array providing polarization switchable focal lengths
Author(s) -
Chankyu Park,
SangShin Lee,
Y.S. Hwang
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.17.019047
Subject(s) - optics , birefringence , integral imaging , materials science , lens (geology) , polarization (electrochemistry) , liquid crystal , focal length , optical axis , cylindrical lens , physics , chemistry , computer science , artificial intelligence , image (mathematics)
An integral imaging system enabling extended depth of field was proposed and demonstrated based on a birefringence lens array (BLA) whose focal length was switched via the light polarization. The lens array system was constructed by combining two different liquid crystal(LC) embedded lens arrays, BLA I and II, which were fabricated by injecting a ZLI-4119 LC and an E-7 LC in between a lens array substrate and an ITO (indium-tin-oxide) glass plate respectively. The BLA I played a role as a convex lens only for the polarization parallel to the ordinary axis of the corresponding LC, but it serves as a plain medium for that along its extraordinary one since the refractive indexes of the lens and the LC are almost identical. Meanwhile, the BLA II played a role as a concave lens only for the polarization parallel to the extraordinary axis of the LC but as a plain medium for that along its ordinary one. As a result, the focal length could be switched via the polarization, and it was measured to be 680 mm and -29 mm. For the proposed system with the prepared BLAs, both real and virtual three-dimensional (3D) images were efficiently reconstructed at the positions of z=1300 mm and z=-30 mm with no significant degradation in the resolution, indicating its depth of field range.