The impurity optical absorption and conduction band structure in 6H-SiC

Absorption spectra of nitrogen-doped n-type 6H-SiC crystals were studied for two orientations of the light wave electric field (E) relative to the optical axis (C), E ∥ C and E ⊥ C, within the range from the near-infrared region to the fundamental band. For E ∥ C, a weak absorption band peak at 2.85 eV was investigated for the first time. All the absorption bands observed are attributed to donor (nitrogen) photoionization, as a result of which electrons are transferred to the conduction-band upper minima that correspond to different critical points of the Brillouin zone. A combined analysis of the new data obtained in this study, the previous experimental results concerning photoionization of nitrogen, and theoretical data on 6H-SiC conduction band structure made it possible to refine the arrangement and symmetry of the additional conduction-band extrema in the Brillouin zone.