A liquid crystal lens element is provided, which can realize a small sized element having no moving part, and which has a lens function of switching the focal length among multiple focal lengths of at least 3 types according to an applied voltage.
A liquid crystal lens element 10 is provided, which comprises a pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between these substrates, wherein focal lengths of light transmitted through the liquid crystal 16 is changed depending on a voltage applied to the liquid crystal 16, the liquid crystal lens element 10 has a Fresnel lens-shaped concave-convex portion 17 and a liquid crystal layer 16A, and configured so that the refractive index n of the liquid crystal layer 16A changes from a refractive index n1 at a time of no application to a refractive index n2 at a time of voltage application, a refractive index ns of the concave-convex portion 17 is a value between the refractive indexes n1 and n2 and satisfies a predetermined relation, and the maximum depth d of the concave-convex portion 17 satisfies a predetermined relation, the focal length can be switched by switching an applied voltage to the liquid crystal layer 16A under the predetermined conditions.