Microstructural and infrared optical properties of electrochemically etched highly doped 4H-SiC

Pores in porous 4H-SiC are found to propagate first nearly parallel with the basal plane and then gradually change plane of propagation towards the direction of the c axis. A similar anisotropy in pore propagation is found in porous 6H-SiC. A disordered phase is encountered at the interface between crystalline SiC and the pores. Formation of this phase was attributed to the etching conditions. Characterization of the material with nondestructive infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry in the photon energy range 0.062-0.62 eV provides average thickness and porosity in good agreement with electron microscopy observations. Anodization of SiC introduces remarkable changes to the reststrahlen band. A shallow minimum at 0.113 eV is attributed to the Berreman effect. In addition, a sharp peak at 0.126 eV is discussed to be related to the in-depth inhomogeneity and particle shape effects in the material. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)07312-6].