GROWTH AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ZNSE FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE CALORIMETRY APPLICATIONS

Zinc selenide is widely studied in view of possible high-tech applications, for which excellent structural quality and low impurity content are fundamental prerequisites. As we are mainly interested in its applications for low temperature calorimetry, we have grown ZnSe single crystals using the PVT (physical vapor transport) technique, with the aim of determining the critical growth parameters. So far, the starting material morphology and purity, the prepurification conditions, the inert gas pressure inside the silica ampoule and the growth conditions were considered in correlation with the growth results. The microstructure of the crystals obtained was investigated by chemical etching and direct observation by optical and SEM microscopy. Additionally, the optical properties were determined by room temperature absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy.