Optical element and method of fabricating the same

1 . A method of fabricating a diffractive optical element, comprising:

receiving digital data describing an optical property selected from the group consisting of a nanometric pattern, a phase pattern at a surface of the optical element, a far-field intensity pattern, and a far-field phase pattern;

converting said digital data to computer object data readable by a three-dimensional printing system;

fabricating, by said three-dimensional printing system and according to said computer object data, a three-dimensional mold having a relief pattern complementary to a pattern of the optical element to be fabricated;

contacting said relief pattern with a solidifiable transmissive material, and solidifying said material thereby forming a transmissive substrate having said pattern thereupon; and

contacting said transmissive substrate with at least one substance wherein a difference in refractive indices between said substance and said transmissive substrate is less than 0.1±10%.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said substance is in liquid state and is non-solidifiable.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said substance is in liquid state and is solidifiable.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said pattern, said substance, and a material of said transmissive substrate is selected to induce or maintain chromatic aberration or dispersion on light beam passing through the optical element.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said pattern comprises at least one feature which extends from a base surface of said transmissive substrate along a direction generally parallel to an optical axis of the optical element, and which has a size of at least 100±10% microns along said direction.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising replacing said substance with replacement substance having optical properties which are different from optical properties of said substance, thereby tuning the optical element.

7 . An optical element, producible by the method according to claim 1 .

8 . A method of fabricating a diffractive optical element, comprising:

receiving digital data describing an optical property selected from the group consisting of a nanometric pattern, a phase pattern at a surface of the optical element, a far-field intensity pattern, and a far-field phase pattern;

converting said digital data to computer object data readable by a three-dimensional printing system; and

printing by said three-dimensional printing system a transmissive substrate having a pattern corresponding to said computer object data; and

contacting said transmissive substrate by at least one substance to interface said pattern, wherein a difference in refractive indices between said substance and said transmissive substrate is less than 0.1±10%.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein said contacting is by three-dimensional printing.

10 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein said contacting is by a technique other than three-dimensional printing.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said converting comprises upscaling said nanometric pattern along at least one direction, to provide an upscaled pattern.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein said converting comprises pixelating said upscaled pattern.

13 . An optical element, producible by the method according to claim 8 .

14 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said converting comprises upscaling said nanometric pattern along at least one direction, to provide an upscaled pattern.