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An optical device for combining two orthogonally polarized beams or splitting a beam into two orthogonally polarized beams is provided that utilizes two collimating/focusing lenses and a thin film wire-grid polarizer. Because the thin film wire-grid polarizer can be fabricated in very thin profile,

An optical device for combining two orthogonally polarized beams or splitting a beam into two orthogonally polarized beams is provided that utilizes two collimating/focusing lenses and a thin film wire-grid polarizer. Because the thin film wire-grid polarizer can be fabricated in very thin profile, the provision of a thin film wire-grid polarizer allows the optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device to be highly integrated and simultaneously realize a number of performance advantages of a thin film wire-grid polarizer over other types of polarizers utilized in various prior art polarization beam combiner/splitters.

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1. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device comprising:a first optical beam carrier for carrying a first polarized beam; a second optical beam carrier for carrying a second polarized beam whose polarization is orthogonal to the polarization of the first polarized beam; a first and a sec

1. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device comprising:a first optical beam carrier for carrying a first polarized beam; a second optical beam carrier for carrying a second polarized beam whose polarization is orthogonal to the polarization of the first polarized beam; a first and a second collimating/focusing lenses, each having an inwardly-facing surface, and an optical axis, the two collimating/focusing lenses oriented coaxially so that their optical axes are aligned collinearly, defining an optical axis of the device, and their inwardly-facing surfaces are facing each other; the two collimating/focusing lenses positioned between the first and second optical carriers, the optical beam carriers positioned equidistant from the optical axis of the device and oriented coaxially to each other, a third optical beam carrier for carrying a non-polarized beam positioned on the same side of the two collimating/focusing lenses as the first optical beam carrier and positioned equidistant from the optical axis of the device as the first optical beam carrier; and a thin film wire-grid polarizer disposed between the first and second collimating/focusing lenses. 2. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second optical beam carriers are polarization-maintaining optical fibers.3. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 1, wherein the third optical beam carrier is an optical fiber.4. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 1, further comprising a first ferrule and a second ferrule;the first and second optical beam carriers are polarization-maintaining optical fibers and the third optical beam carrier is an optical fiber, wherein the first and third optical beam carriers are held within the first ferrule and the second optical beam carrier is held within the second ferrule. 5. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 1, wherein the thing film wire-grid polarizer is provided on the inwardly-facing surface of one of the collimating/focusing lenses.6. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 1, wherein the thin film wire-grid polarizer comprises nano-scale thin film wire grid structures.7. an optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 6, wherein the thin film wire grid has a grid period of about 150 nm to 250 nm and a fill ratio between 20-50%.8. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 6, wherein the thin film wire grid has a grid period of about 50 nm to 150 nm and a fill ratio of about 25-75%.9. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 6, wherein the thin film wire grid has a grid period of no greater than 300 nm and a fill ratio of no more than 50%.10. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 1, wherein a plane defined by the thin film wire-grid polarizer is orthogonal to the optical axis of the device.11. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 1, further comprising:at least one more set of optical beam carriers are provided to handle another set of beams. 12. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 1, further comprising:a fourth optical beam carrier for carrying a non-polarized beam positioned on the same side of the two collimating/focusing lenses as the second optical beam carrier and positioned equidistant from the optical axis of the device as the second optical beam carrier so that when two orthogonally polarized incident beams are individually received through the first and second optical beam carriers, the thin film-wire-grid polarizer combines the two polarized incident beams into a composite depolarized output beam that can be directed to at least one of the third and the fourth optical beam carriers. 13. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 12, wherein the composite depolarized output beam can be directed to at least one of the third and the fourth optical beam carriers by rotating the tin film wire-grid polarizer about the optical axis of the device between a first position and a second position;the first position defined by an orientation of the thin film wire-grid polarizer in which the thin film wire-grid polarizer will reflect the first polarized incident beam received through the first optical beam carrier and transmit the second polarized incident beam received through the second optical beam carrier so that the composite depolarized output beam is directed to the third optical beam carrier; and the second position defined by an orientation of the thin film wire-grid polarizer in which the thin film wire-grid polarizer will transmit the first polarized incident beam received through the first optical beam carrier and reflect the second polarized incident beam received through the second optical beam carrier so that the composite depolarized output beam is directed to the fourth optical beam carrier. 14. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 13, wherein the composite depolarized output beam can be apportioned between the third and the fourth optical beam carriers by positioning the thin film wire-grid polarizer between the first and the second position.15. An optical polarization beam combiner/splitter device according to claim 12, further comprising a first ferrule and a second ferrule;the first and second optical beam carriers are polarization-maintaining optical fibers and the third and fourth optical beam carriers are optical fibers, wherein the first and third optical beam carriers are held within the first ferrule and the second and fourth optical beam carriers are held within the second ferrule. 16. An optical polarization beam combiner device comprising:a first optical beam source for providing a first polarized incident beam; a second optical beam source for providing a second polarized incident beam whose polarization state is orthogonal to the polarization state of the first polarized incident beam; a first and second collimating/focusing lenses, each having an inwardly-facing surface, an outwardly-facing surface, and an optical axis, the two collimating/focusing lenses oriented coaxially so that their optical axes are aligned collinearly, defining an optical axis o the device, and their inwardly-facing surfaces are facing each other; the two collimating/focusing lenses positioned between the first and second optical beam sources so that the first and second polarized incident beams are directed parallel to the optical axis of the device; an optical beam carrier for carrying a non-polarized beam positioned on the same side of the two collimating/focusing lenses as the first optical beam source; and a thin film wire-grid polarizer disposed between the first and second collimating/focusing lenses so that the first polarized incident beam is reflected from the thin film wire-grid polarizer as a reflected beam and directed through the first collimating/focusing lens along a first path disposed at a first angle with respect to the optical axis of the device and the second polarized incident beam is transmitted through the thin film wire-grid polarizer and directed through the first collimating/focusing lens along the first path, combining with the reflected beam forming a composite output beam, wherein the optical beam carrier is disposed at a location so that the first collimating/focusing lens focuses the composite output beam into the optical beam carrier. 17. An optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 16, wherein the first and second optical beam sources are polarization-maintaining optical fibers.18. An optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 16, wherein the optical beam carrier is an optical fiber.19. an optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 16, wherein the thin film wire-grid polarizer is provided on the inwardly-facing surface of one of the collimating/focusing lenses.20. An optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 16, wherein the thin film wire-grid polarizer comprises nano-scale thin film wire-grid structures.21. An optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 20, wherein the thin film wire grid has a grid period of about 150 nm to 250 nm and a fill ratio between 20-50%.22. An optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 20, wherein the thin film wire grid has a grid period of about 50 nm to 150 nm and a fill ratio of about 25-75%.23. An optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 20, wherein the thin film wire grid has a grid period of no greater than 300 nm and a fill ratio of no more than 50%.24. An optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 16, wherein the thin film wire-grid polarizer is positioned at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to the optical axis of the device so that the first and second beam sources need not be equidistant from the optical axis of the device.25. An optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 16, wherein the optical beam carrier is an optical fiber for carrying a non-polarized beam.26. an optical polarization beam combiner device according to claim 16, further comprising:at least one more set of optical beam sources and an optical beam carrier provided to handle another set of beams. 27. An optical polarization beam splitter device comprising:a first optical beam carrier for carrying a first component output beam having a first polarization state; a second optical beam carrier for carrying a second component output beam having a polarization state orthogonal to the first polarization state; a first and second collimating/focusing lenses, each having an inwardly-facing surface, an outwardly-facing surface, and an optical axis, the two collimating/focusing lenses oriented coaxially so that their optical axes are aligned collinearly, defining an optical axis of the device, and their inwardly-facing surfaces are facing each other; the two collimating/focusing lenses positioned between the first and second optical beam carriers; an optical beam source providing a non-polarized incident beam positioned on the same side of the two collimating/focusing lenses as the first optical beam carrier; a thin film wire-grid polarizer disposed between the first and second collimating/focusing lenses so that a first component output beam of the incident beam is reflected from the thin film wire-grid polarizer and directed through the first collimating/focusing lens along a first path disposed at a first angle with respect to the optical axis of the device and a second component output beam of the incident beam is transmitted through the thin film wire-grid polarizer and directed through the second collimating/focusing lens along a second path disposed at a second angle with respect to the optical axis of the device; the first and second angles being substantially symmetrical about the optical axis of the device; the first optical beam carrier disposed at a location so that the first collimating/focusing lens focuses the first component output beam into the first optical beam carrier; and the second optical beam carrier disposed at a location so that the second collimating/focusing lens focuses the second component output beam into the second optical beam carrier. 28. An optical polarization beam splitter device according to claim 27, wherein the first and second optical beam carriers are polarization-maintaining optical fibers.29. An optical polarization beam splitter device according to claim 27, wherein the optical beam source is an optical fiber for carrying a non-polarized beam.30. An optical polarization beam splitter device according to claim 27, wherein the thin film wire-grid polarizer is provided on the inwardly-facing surface of one of the collimating/focusing lenses.31. An optical polarization beam splitter device according to claim 27, wherein the thin film wire-grid polarizer comprises nano-scale thin film wire grid structures.32. An optical polarization beam splitter device according to claim 31, wherein the thin film wire grid has a grid period of about 150 nm to 250 nm and a fill ratio between 20-50%.33. An optical polarization beam splitter device according to claim 31, wherein the thin film wire grid has a grid period of about 50 nm to 150 nm and a fill ratio of about 25-75%.34. An optical polarization beam splitter device according to claim 31, wherein the thin film wire grid has a grid period of no greater than 300 nm and a fill ratio of no more than 50%.35. An optical polarization beam splitter device according to claim 27, further comprising:at least one more set of optical beam carriers and an optical beam source provided to handle another set of beams.