Electrowetting Lens
Application ID: 10029
The contact angle of a two-fluid interface with a solid surface is determined by the balance of the forces at the contact point. In electrowetting the balance of forces at the contact point is modified by the application of a voltage between a conducting fluid and the solid surface.
In many applications the solid surface consists of a thin dielectric deposited onto a conducting layer; this is often referred to as Electrowetting on Dielectric (EWOD). Electrowetting can be used to modify the contact angle dynamically by changing the voltage applied to the conducting liquid. In this example, the meniscus between two immiscible liquids is used as an optical lens. A change in curvature of the meniscus caused by the electrowetting effect is used to change the focal length of the lens over a large range. This model is based on the work of the Philips FluidFocus team.
This model uses the Laminar Two-Phase Flow, Moving Mesh interface and a time dependent study.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
- COMSOL Multiphysics® et
- soit le Module CFD, Module Chemical Reaction Engineering, Module Microfluidics, ou Module Polymer Flow
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Grille des Spécifications and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.