Patent ID: 7231123

Claim:
An optical element, comprising: a first porous region; a second porous region; and a non-porous region formed between the first porous region and the second porous region, the non-porous region having a refractive index higher than a refractive index of the first porous region, wherein a first layer including the first porous region is formed, a second layer including the second porous region is formed, and a third layer including the non-porous region is formed between the first layer and the second layer and has in its in-plane direction a region with a refractive index different from the refractive index of the non-porous region, wherein the non-porous region functions as an optical waveguide, and a spacer layer of a porous structure is formed between the second layer and the third layer, wherein the spacer layer includes in its in-plane direction a plurality of regions different in refractive index.