Growth of ZnSe single crystals directly from zinc and selenium

ZnSe single crystals were grown by the chemical vapor transport (CVT) method in one step, using Zn and Se elements as the raw materials and the iodine as the transport agent. The as-grown ZnSe crystals were characterized by XRD, EDS, UV-Vis spectrophotometer and photoluminescence (PL) for their structures, compositions and optical properties. The results indicate that the as-grown ZnSe single crystals are well crystallized with the compositions close to ideal stoichiometric ratio. The transmittance reaches to 65%-70% in the wavelength range of 500-2000 nm. Three emission bands at 1.9-2.5 eV were detected, which can be attributed to the presence of Zn vacancies and impurities. The researches prove feasibility to grow ZnSe single crystals in one step from zinc and selenium with the assistance of iodine transport agent.