Improvement of the characteristics of ZnSe single-crystal semiconductor lasers pumped longitudinally by an electron beam

The cathodoluminescence spectrum of ZnSe single crystals grown from the vapor and liquid phases was investigated in the range 400–800 nm and the internal quantum efficiency η was measured at T = 77 °K. A correlation was found between η and the free-electron line intensity, but there was no correlation between η and other luminescence lines. A comparison of the photoluminescence spectra recorded at 4.2 °K for zinc selenide samples annealed in zinc and selenium with the spectra of the original samples indicated that the saturation with zinc during annealing increased η and improved the laser characteristics.