Characteristics of thick ZnSe films on quasi-phase-matched (QPM) GaAs substrates

Abstract We have grown and characterized thick zinc selenide (ZnSe) films up to millimeter thickness on unpatterned gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers and orientation-patterned substrates by physical vapor transport. The patterns were designed to achieve alternating [0 0 1] and [0 0 1¯] orientations. The quality of the films was evaluated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and anisotropic etching to determine the morphology and crystallinity. ZnSe films grew epitaxially on the templates and X-ray rocking curves showed full widths at half maximum (FWHM) less than 0.2°. Orientation-patterning up to hundreds of microns film thickness was verified by SEM and etching profiles.