German researchers have created a microscopic and very thin lens iris, much smaller than existing mechanical irises, a fact that paves the way for the construction of a new generation of microscopic cameras for ‘smart’ mobile phones and tablet computers.
The innovative iris, which is made of a new electrochromic material, the polymer PEDOT (also called 'smart' glass), is electro-chemical and not mechanical like current ones, which allows for a significant reduction in size. In addition, it has very low power consumption, which makes it ideal for a wide range of portable electronic devices with batteries and cameras.
Researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern, led by Tobias Deutschmann, who published the relevant paper in the optics journal “Journal of Optics”, according to the BBC, used a material that is arranged in concentric, successive rings, which transform from transparent to opaque when passed through by a low-power electric current (because it changes color under the influence of electricity, the material is called electrochromic).
The micro‑girl, only 55 micrometers thick (millionths of a meter), works with a current of just 1.5 volts, which doesn't even need to be continuous for the material to remain transparent, as it has «memory».
In the human eye the iris controls the diameter of the pupil and thus the amount of light that enters to the retinal lens. In cameras the role of the iris is essentially the same, controlling the opening of the aperture and thus the amount of light that reaches the sensors.
Traditional cameras use mechanically moving lens apertures, which adjust according to lighting conditions and the photographer's wishes. However, as cameras in mobile phones become more popular and lighter, it becomes increasingly difficult to shrink these mechanical parts, as they have approached their physical size limit.
This is precisely why the new discovery is important, which opens the way to electro-chemical lens apertures without mechanical parts.
Source: nooz.gr
