High Resolution Optical Spectroscopy of Free Exciton and Electronic Band Structure near the Fundamental Gap in 4H SiC

We use thick, relatively high purity 4H SiC boule material to measure the wavelength modulated absorption spectrum with improved wavelength resolution and sensitivity with respect to previous work. We observe several small 0.6 ± 0.1 meV splittings, which we attribute to electron mass anisotropy and electron-hole exchange interaction. In addition, we identify several features in the absorption spectrum as signatures of nonparabolicity in the free exciton dispersion relations, the primary origin of which is likely the nonparabolic energy dispersion of the valence bands, as revealed by published band structure calculations based on density functional theory.