PURPOSE: To provide the manufacture of the spatial optical modulation element with which a perpendicular orientation type liquid crystal layer that constitutes the optical modulation layer can be uniformly formed and the irregularity at the time of driving the element can be prevented from being generated.

CONSTITUTION: The glass substrate A on which a transparent electrode, a photoconductive layer and a dielectric mirror layer are formed and the glass substrate B on which only a transparent electrode is formed are arranged so that the perpendicular direction to the surface of each of the substrates is inclined to a direction being at an angle θ to the direction of the evaporation source 11. Then, an oriented undercoating film is formed on each of the substrates by vapor depositing SiO2 on it while performing the ion beam irradiation with the ion gun 12. Subsequently, a perpendicularly oriented film is formed by coating the surface of the oriented undercoating film with an organic material. Thus, the glass substrates A and B, each of which is provided with the oriented undercoating film and the perpendicularly oriented film, are bonded together through a spacer and the liquid crystal used as the constituent of the optical modulation layer is injected into the space between the substrates to complete the objective manufacture of the spatial optical modulation element.