Patent ID: 7787063

Claim:
An optical element comprising: a liquid crystal layer; a first transparent substrate arranged on one side of the liquid crystal layer; a first electrode transparent and arranged on said one side of the liquid crystal layer; a second transparent substrate arranged on another side of the liquid crystal layer; a second electrode arranged on said another side of the liquid crystal layer and including a plurality of individual electrodes having holes; a third electrode arranged on an opposite side of the liquid crystal layer with respect to the second electrode; an insulating layer laid between the individual electrodes and the third electrode; and a voltage applier for applying voltages between the first electrode and the second and third electrodes, wherein the individual electrodes are laid as a plurality of layers divided by the insulating layer and located in a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal layer, wherein the holes of the individual electrodes become increasingly small as going away from the liquid crystal layer and are overlapped from each other at the center portion thereof when viewed from a perspective perpendicular to the liquid crystal layer, wherein when viewed from a perspective perpendicular to the liquid crystal layer, the rims of the holes of the individual electrodes do not overlap one another, wherein an exterior diameter of each of the individual electrodes except the individual electrode closest to the liquid crystal layer is larger than a diameter of the hole of the individual electrode located adjacently on a liquid crystal layer side thereof, and wherein an exterior diameter of the third electrode is larger than a diameter of the hole of the individual electrode located adjacent thereto.