Transparent EuTiO₃ films: a possible two-dimensional magneto-optical device

The magneto-optical activity of high quality transparent thin films of insulating EuTiO₃ (ETO) deposited on a thin SrTiO₃ (STO) substrate, both being non-magnetic materials, are demonstrated to be a versatile tool for light modulation. The operating temperature is close to room temperature and allows for multiple device engineering. By using small magnetic fields birefringence of the samples can be switched off and on. Similarly, rotation of the sample in the field can modify its birefringence Δn. In addition, Δn can be increased by a factor of 4 in very modest fields with simultaneously enhancing the operating temperature by almost 100 K.