A transmissive surface relief diffractive optical element (300, 300') configured to provide an anti-reflectance functionality in a particular wavelength range of incident light and having etched regions (335-1, 335-2) and un-etched regions, comprising: a substrate; a first anti-reflectance structure (315-1, 320-1) for the particular wavelength range formed on the substrate; a second anti-reflectance structure (315-2, 320-2) for the particular wavelength range formed on the first anti-reflectance structure; a third anti-reflectance structure (315-3, 320-3) for the particular wavelength range formed on the second anti-reflectance structure; and at least one layer disposed between the first anti-reflectance structure and the second anti-reflectance structure or between the second anti-reflectance structure and the third anti- reflectance structure, wherein a first relief depth between a first surface of the first anti-reflectance structure and a second surface of the second anti-reflectance structure and a second relief depth between the first surface and a third surface of the third anti-reflectance structure are configured to form the surface relief diffractive optical element associated with a first phase delay and a second phase delay, respectively, for the particular wavelength range; wherein the first anti-reflectance structure comprises a first top layer and the second anti-reflectance structure comprises a second top layer, each of the first top layer and the second top layer being an etch stop layer to enable etching to form a phase delay, wherein each of the first anti-reflectance structure including the first top layer, the second anti-reflectance structure including the second top layer, and the third anti-reflectance structure comprises alternating layers of two materials, and thereby forming a three-level relief profile having anti-reflectance structures built into each etched stack (335-1, 335-2) of the surface relief diffractive optical element and built into the un-etched stack without requiring additional anti-reflectance coatings. or structures on the top surface of the three-level relief profile. a substrate; a first anti-reflectance structure (315-1, 320-1) for the particular wavelength range formed on the substrate; a second anti-reflectance structure (315-2, 320-2) for the particular wavelength range formed on the first anti-reflectance structure; a third anti-reflectance structure (315-3, 320-3) for the particular wavelength range formed on the second anti-reflectance structure; and at least one layer disposed between the first anti-reflectance structure and the second anti-reflectance structure or between the second anti-reflectance structure and the third anti- reflectance structure, wherein a first relief depth between a first surface of the first anti-reflectance structure and a second surface of the second anti-reflectance structure and a second relief depth between the first surface and a third surface of the third anti-reflectance structure are configured to form the surface relief diffractive optical element associated with a first phase delay and a second phase delay, respectively, for the particular wavelength range; wherein the first anti-reflectance structure comprises a first top layer and the second anti-reflectance structure comprises a second top layer, each of the first top layer and the second top layer being an etch stop layer to enable etching to form a phase delay, wherein each of the first anti-reflectance structure including the first top layer, the second anti-reflectance structure including the second top layer, and the third anti-reflectance structure comprises alternating layers of two materials, and thereby forming a three-level relief profile having anti-reflectance structures built into each etched stack (335-1, 335-2) of the surface relief diffractive optical element and built into the un-etched stack without requiring additional anti-reflectance coatings. or structures on the top surface of the three-level relief profile. wherein a first relief depth between a first surface of the first anti-reflectance structure and a second surface of the second anti-reflectance structure and a second relief depth between the first surface and a third surface of the third anti-reflectance structure are configured to form the surface relief diffractive optical element associated with a first phase delay and a second phase delay, respectively, for the particular wavelength range; wherein the first anti-reflectance structure comprises a first top layer and the second anti-reflectance structure comprises a second top layer, each of the first top layer and the second top layer being an etch stop layer to enable etching to form a phase delay, wherein each of the first anti-reflectance structure including the first top layer, the second anti-reflectance structure including the second top layer, and the third anti-reflectance structure comprises alternating layers of two materials, and thereby forming a three-level relief profile having anti-reflectance structures built into each etched stack (335-1, 335-2) of the surface relief diffractive optical element and built into the un-etched stack without requiring additional anti-reflectance coatings. or structures on the top surface of the three-level relief profile.