Terahertz conductivity and ultrafast dynamics of photoinduced charge carriers in intrinsic 3C and 6H silicon carbide

The terahertz (THz) conductivity of photoinduced charge carriers in two common polytypes of silicon carbide, 3C-SiC and 6H-SiC, is studied on picosecond time scales using an optical-pump THz-probe technique. We find that the conductivity, measured from 0.7 to 3 THz, is well described by the Drude model, and obtain a velocity relaxation time of 75 fs, independent of sample and charge-carrier density. In contrast, the carrier relaxation rates in the two polytypes differ by orders of magnitude: in 6H- and 3C-SiC, recombination proceeds on a time scale of few picoseconds and beyond nanoseconds, respectively. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.