Optical response of a YBCO light modulating device driven by a critical amount of current

The far-infrared optical response of a light-modulating device fabricated from a thin YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) film is presented. A critical amount of current was used to switch the YBCO film between a substantially non-transparent superconducting state and a partially transmitting non-superconducting state. Experimental results show the optical extinction ratio of the device to increase with decreasing temperature below the critical temperature of the film. The results correlate well with modeling. Simulations of the optical response of the light-modulating device as a function of wavelength and YBCO film thickness are also presented.