Neutron transmutation doping as an experimental probe for CuZn in ZnSe

Abstract

Nuclear transmutation is employed in an investigation of copper doping in ZnSe. Copper atoms are introduced at zinc sites in ZnSe after crystal growth processes are complete. Since the copper dopants are introduced after growth, far from equilibrium, they are less able to form complexes with other dopants or lattice defects as they may do when present during crystal growth. Initial results are consistent with CuZn being involved in the copper red and copper green emissions in ZnSe but not in the I1d exitonic emission.

The influence of structural defects in ZnSe/GaAs heterostructures on luminescence properties

“…The Y and I d 1 lines could evidently be attributed to misfit dislocations [12,13] and the recombination of bound excitons with zinc vacancies [14], respectively. The Cu-green emission was attributed to defect complexes such as zinc vacancies [15] or the unintentional incorporation of Cu [16]. The SA emission was frequently observed in samples of limited crystallinity and is up to now proposed to be associated with complexes of zinc vacancies or impurities sitting on zinc vacancies [17,18].…”