Method of making and using a reusable mold for fabrication of optical elements

1. A method of making an optical element, the method comprising:

applying a polymer to a mold, the mold having microstructures with the polymer flowing into the microstructures when applied to the mold;

pressing an inorganic substrate onto the polymer;

curing the polymer to fix the polymer to the inorganic substrate to form the optical element from the polymer and the inorganic substrate, the optical element having microstructures formed by the microstructures in the mold, wherein the optical element is monolithic after curing the polymer; and

releasing the optical element from the mold.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a sacrificial layer to the mold before applying the polymer to the mold.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the sacrificial layer is a photoresist material, organic polymer, or silicon nitride.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising removing the sacrificial layer after releasing the optical element from the mold.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein removing the sacrificial layer includes applying phosphoric acid, oxygen plasma treatment, or organic solvent to the mold or the optical element.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing the polymer to the inorganic substrate removes a part line therebetween.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing the polymer includes annealing the polymer and the inorganic substrate.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the annealing is further defined as steam annealing.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing the polymer to the inorganic substrate includes curing the polymer and the inorganic substrate.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the curing includes an ultraviolet curing process.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the polymer to the mold includes spinning the polymer onto the mold.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the mold by applying a mask to a blank and subsequently etching the blank.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the mask is a photoresist material and the etching includes plasma etching.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the mask is a hard mask and the etching includes wet etching.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the blank is nitride.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the blank is metal.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mold is nickel plated.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic substrate is silicon and the polymer is silicon after being cured.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a flowable oxide.

20. A method of making an optical element, the method comprising:

applying a polymer to a mold, the mold having microstructures with the polymer flowing into the microstructures when applied to the mold;

pressing an inorganic substrate onto the polymer;

curing the polymer to fix the polymer to the inorganic substrate to form the optical element from the polymer and the inorganic substrate, the optical element having microstructures formed by the microstructures in the mold, wherein curing the polymer to the inorganic substrate removes a part line therebetween; and

releasing the optical element from the mold.

21. A method of making an optical element, the method comprising:

applying a polymer to a mold, the mold having microstructures with the polymer flowing into the microstructures when applied to the mold;

pressing an inorganic substrate onto the polymer;

curing the polymer to fix the polymer to the inorganic substrate to form the optical element from the polymer and the inorganic substrate, the optical element having microstructures formed by the microstructures in the mold, wherein the inorganic substrate is silicon and the polymer is silicon after being cured; and

releasing the optical element from the mold.