Photoaligned Tunable Liquid Crystal Lenses with Parabolic Phase Profile

We present a theoretical model of a cylindrical tunable liquid crystal lens based on the modulation of anchoring energy. The latter can be easily obtained using photoalignment techniques. The liquid crystal cell we propose exhibits strong anchoring at the top substrate and anchoring energy with a parabolic profile at the bottom substrate. The model describes the dependence of the focal length on the applied voltage and presents a theoretical study of the lens aberrations. The results obtained are of general relevance and can be used to optimize the performances of every type of liquid crystal lens with a parabolic profile.