Size-effect of oligomeric cholesteric liquid-crystal microlenses on the optical specifications

Abstract

In cholesteric liquid-crystalline microlenses, we have studied the role of the microlens size on the focused light intensity and the focal length. We have found that the intensity is maximized by aiming a specific range for the diameter and the thickness of microlenses and that the focal length is adjusted by controlling the diameter and the annealing time of the optical film. Cholesteric microlenses may be used as wavelength-tunable directional light sources in organic soft-matter circuits.