A variable angle of incidence spectroscopic ellipsometer equipped with a compensator has been used to determine the dielectric functions in the 0.74 - 6 eV photon energy range of n-type bulk 4H-SiC with doping concentrations between 10(17) and 10(19) cm(-3). The resulting dielectric function for different SiC wafers depends on the doping concentration, especially around the absorption onset and higher photon energies. Measurements on different wafers with the same doping show good reproducibility. Simulations and preliminary measurements show that ellipsometry might be useful for thickness determination of thin (<1 m) homoepitaxial films.