Waveguide polarization beam splitters and method of fabricating a waveguide wire-grid polarization beam splitter

An optical waveguide polarization beam splitter, wherein said beam splitter comprises a wire-grid array in said waveguide so as to facilitate the transmission or reflection of light propagated within said waveguide in dependence upon incident polarization of the propagated light, said beam splitter comprising a ridged waveguide structure having intersecting waveguide sections extending at 90 degrees relative to each other;

• a parallel metal wire-grid row with 50-100 nm diameter wire pores and 150-200 nm wire spacing extending diagonal across the intersection of said waveguide sections;
• and a strippable diblock copolymer material covering said metal wire grid pores.