Beryllium-containing materials for II-VI laser diodes

Beryllium containing ZnSe-based compound semiconductors introduce substantial additional degrees of freedom for the design of wide gap II-VI heterostructures. Interesting aspects are the lattice matching of BeTe with its high lying valence band and high p-type dopability for the growth of graded gap contacts capable of carrying high current densities, as well as the expected strengthening of quaternary beryllium compounds like BeMgZnSe as compared to the II-VI materials used on the basis of ZnMgSSe. They have a large covalency and therefore large bond energy. The covalency of BeSe e.g. is expected to be as high as the one of GaN. The fabrication of light emitting devices like LEDs and laser diodes is reported.