Large extinction ratio optical electrowetting shutter.

A large extinction ratio optical shutter has been demonstrated using electrowetting liquids. The device is based on switching between a liquid-liquid interface curvature that produces total internal reflection and one that does not. The interface radius of curvature can be tuned continuously from 9 mm at 0 V to -45 mm at 26 V.

Adaptive electrowetting lens-prism element.

An adaptive electrowetting-based element with focusing and steering capability has been demonstrated in a monolithic design. Curvature and tip-tilt variation have been demonstrated using low voltages. A steering range of up to 4.

Focus-tunable low-power electrowetting lenses with thin parylene films.

Electrowetting lenses with record low power consumption (microwatts) have been demonstrated using high-quality parylene AF-4 dielectric layers and large dodecyl sulfate ions. Water and propylene glycol are interchanged as the polar liquid to enable diverging and converging lens operation achievable with the application of 15 V. The optical quality of the lenses is comparable to conventional microlenses and the tuning exhibits very little (<0.

Temperature controlled tensile testing of individual nanowires.

We present a novel experimental method for quantitatively characterizing the temperature-dependent mechanical behavior of individual nanostructures during uniaxial straining. By combining a microelectromechanical tensile testing device with a low thermal mass and digital image correlation providing nm-level displacement resolution, we show successful incorporation of a testing platform in a vacuum cryostat system with an integrated heater and temperature control. Characterization of the local sample temperature and time-dependent response at both low and high temperature demonstrates a testing range of ∼90-475 K and steady-state drift rates less than 0.