Patent ID: 7420610

Claim:
A solid-state imaging element comprising a photoelectric conversion element and an optical element which is formed on said photoelectric conversion element, wherein; a center of said optical element is aligned with a center of said photoelectric conversion element, and said optical element has a refractive index periodic structure for a predetermined refractive index, said refractive index periodic structure being made up of at least two types of light-transparent materials with different refractive indices which are stacked in layers, and said refractive index periodic structure has a periodic structure along a stacking direction of the layers of light-transparent materials and a periodic structure, along an in-plane direction, defined by concentric similar shapes, wherein; said concentric similar shapes are disposed in a horizontal plane, and said optical element has a tube-shape which is formed by extending said concentric similar shapes in a direction vertical to the in-plane direction, wherein: said optical element has a central opening and one or more concentric similar-shaped openings disposed in the horizontal plane, the opening being defined by said concentric similar shapes, and said optical element has a central cavity and one or more concentric cavities around the central cavity, which are formed by extending said central opening and said one or more concentric similar-shaped openings in a direction vertical to the in-plane direction.