Patent ID: 7777931

Claim:
An electro-optic element comprising: an electro-optic crystal having a birefringent property, and in which a refractive index distribution is generated in accordance with an intensity of an electric field caused inside; a pair of intensity modulating electrodes for applying a voltage for varying the birefringent property of the electro-optic crystal; a pair of scanning electrodes for applying a voltage for varying the refractive index distribution of the electro-optic crystal; and a polarization selection member provided at least on a side of a laser beam emission end face out of a laser beam entrance end face and the laser beam emission end face of the electro-optic crystal, and for selectively transmitting a part with a specific vibration direction out of a light beam emitted from the electro-optic crystal, wherein the electro-optic crystal comprising a modulating area between the intensity modulating electrodes and a scanning area between the scanning electrodes, the modulating area and the scanning area being sequentially disposed from the laser beam entrance end face along a proceeding direction of the laser beam with the modulating area being near the entrance end face.