Researchers in Germany have created a new chemical iris for use on smartphone cameras.
A study on the new chemical, published in the Journal of Optics, reports the discovery could lead to the development of new, smaller cameras for mobile phones and tablets, according to BBC News.
A camera's iris regulats the amount of light that reaches a sensor, which affects the image's focus and fidelity. Most mechanical irises include blades that overlap each other and open and close around a central aperture that, according to researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern have reached their maximum miniaturization.
The new chemical uses transparent chemical rings that turn opaque when voltage is applied to them. The design is only 55 micrometers thick which means devlopers can create much smaller camera modules for smartphones, CNET reported.
The new design includes two glass substrates pressed together with an iridium tin oxide (ITO) layer on each. The substrates also both have a thin layer of electrochromic polymer (PEDOT), which is turned into rings that make the chemical iris.
The size of the aperture can be adjusted by darkening and lightening the concentric rings in the design, which, as a result, adjusts the depth of focus, BBC News reported.
The iris can be switched into an opaque state with a low voltage (1.5V). The chemical doesn't need a constant current to maintain its state, which makes it extremely sustainable for devices powered by batteries.
"Our results prove the electrochromic [EC] iris can be utilized in principle to control the transmitted light and the depth of focus," said Tobias Deutschmann, lead author of the study.
Most apertures on smartphone cameras are currently fixed, but the new system shows the potential for full manual controls for mobile device photography, CNET reported.
The chemical is just being developed, and the researchers plan to make further improvements to it.
"We will now further investigate the potential of optimized electrochromic materials, with a particular focus on improving the optical contrast and, in particular, the control of the depth of focus - this is the decisive hardware parameter which determines the success of the next-generation models in the smartphone business," Deutschmann said.
