A beam splitter is an optical device that splits beams (such as laser beams) into two (or more) beams. Different types of beam splitters exist, as described in the. A fiber-optic splitter, also known as a beam splitter, is based on a quartz substrate of an integrated waveguide optical power distribution device, similar to a coaxial cable transmission system. These exiting beams are differentiated by either their optical power (non-polarizing) or polarization states (polarizing).