Effect of plasmon-phonon excitations on the coefficient of reflection from the surface of hexagonal silicon carbide

Abstract

The coefficient R(ν) of reflection from the surface of 6H-SiC single crystals is studied in the case in which the long-wavelength optical vibrations of the lattice are coupled with the electron plasma. It is shown for the first time that the anisotropy of the properties of electrons and phonons in 6H-SiC gives rise to special features in the spectrum of the coupled vibrations and the transparency regions. It is found, in particular, that if the axis of the crystal lies in the polarization plane of the incident radiation (0<θ<90°), for 30 cm⁻¹⩽ν _p⊥<320 cm⁻¹ the spectrum of R(ν) acquires three regions of transparency and opacity, and for ν _p⊥⩾320 cm⁻¹ four such regions, which are absent in an isotropic medium. The width of these regions is found to depend on the electron concentration in the conduction band and on the angle θ.