Low cost dispersive optical elements

Abstract

A dispersive optical element includes a substrate including a dielectric material, an optical coating arranged on the substrate, and a layer of material including a microscale feature arranged directly on the optical coating.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of making a dispersive optical element, the method comprising:
 forming a film comprising microscale features; and   attaching the film to an optical coating that is on a substrate, the film attached directly to the optical coating;   wherein the film is a sintered metal oxide, a sintered ceramic material, a curable polymer, or a self-assembled block copolymer.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a dielectric material. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the optical coating is an antireflective coating or a high reflecting coating. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the film comprising microscale features diffracts light of a first wavelength and is transparent to light of a second wavelength, and the optical coating reflects or transmits light of the second wavelength. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the film further comprises a metal layer.