Electrowetting adaptive
optical devices are versatile, with applications
ranging from microscopy to remote sensing. The choice of liquids in
these devices governs its tuning range, temporal response, and
wavelength of operation. We characterized a liquid system, consisting
of 1-phenyl-1-cyclohexene and deionized water, using both lens and
prism devices. The liquids have a large contact angle tuning range,
from 173 to 60°. Measured maximum scanning angle was realized
at ±13.7° in a two-electrode prism, with simulation predictions
of ±18.2°. The liquid’s switching time to reach 90°
contact angle from rest, in a 4 mm diameter device, was measured at
100 ms. Steady-state scanning with a two-electrode prism showed linear
and consistent scan angles of ±4.8° for a 20 V differential
between the two electrodes, whereas beam scanning using the liquid
system achieved ±1.74° at 500 Hz for a voltage differential
of 80 V.