The field of the invention is that of the semiconductor optical devices used in particular for fibre-optic telecommunications. To function efficiently, a certain number of semiconductor devices require the use of light polarized in a given polarization state. When knowledge of the polarization the state is lost, the optical element according to the invention makes it possible to polarize the light again in a known polarization state. By using two of these elements in combination with a coupler, it is possible to produce a device which fulfils the same function as a polarization splitter. This optical assembly delivers two output signals whose polarization states are the projections of the initial polarization onto two orthogonal axes. The main advantage of these devices is that they are produced using polarization rotators based on photonic crystals, and they can consequently be integrated easily into semiconductor devices, which the use of discrete polarizers does not allow.