Patent ID: 7317539

Claim:
A polarizing beam splitter device, comprising: (a) a continuous and monolithic optical element, including; (i) a retroreflector surface configured to retroreflect a beam of radiation that is internally incident on the retroreflector surface, said retroreflector surface comprising at least a first face, a second face and a third face that are substantially planar faces that meet at a common point, (ii) a radiation beam passage surface configured to transmit a beam of radiation into or out of the optical element, said radiation beam passage surface comprising a fourth face that is substantially planar and arranged opposite said common point and a fifth face that is substantially planar and arranged at an angle with respect to said fourth face, and (iii) a handler surface configured to handle the polarizing beam splitter device without touching the retroreflector surface or the radiation beam passage surface, said handler surface comprising at least one surface that extends between said retroreflector surface and said radiation beam passage surface; (b) a polarizing beam splitting layer disposed on said fourth face; and (c) a second optical element having at least one substantially planar face, wherein the polarizing beam splitter layer is sandwiched between said fourth face of the optical element and said at least one substantially planar face of said second optical element, and the optical element and the second optical element are made of a first and second transparent material, respectively, and, wherein a refractive index of said first material is substantially equal to a refractive index of said second material.