Phosphorus-doped Zn 1-x Mg x Te (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.31) bulk crystals with zinc-blende structure were grown by vertical Bridgman technique. Single crystalline wafers cut from the ingots have been systematically characterized by energy dispersive X-ray analysis, photoluminescence, optical reflection and transmission, and Hall measurements together with the evaluation of electroless Pd electrode to Zn 0.9 Mg 0.1 Te. The linear increase in the lattice constant and the band-gap energy with x was confirmed. In photoluminescence spectra at 4.2 K, two distinct band-edge luminescence peaks were observed, whereas there are no deep emission bands. These peaks were assigned to be bound exciton emission due to neutral P acceptor and a P acceptor related free-to-bound transition emission. Electroless Pd electrode shows the specific contact resistance lower than 5×10