Molecular-beam epitaxy growth and nitrogen doping of ZnSe1-xTex alloys grown on InP substrates

High-quality ZnSe1-xTex alloys spanning the entire compositional range have been grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. Good compositional control can be ob tained by adjusting the beam equivalent pressure ratio of Se to Zn during g rowth. Double-crystal x-ray rocking curves with full widths at half maximum as narrow as 70 arcsec were obtained suggesting excellent crystalline qual ity. The p-type doping with nitrogen of ZnSe1-xTex alloys having Te content s from 0% to 100% has been systematically studied. The free hole concentrat ion increases from 10(17) to 10(19) cm(-3) as the Te content increases from 12% to 40%. The N-doped ZnSeTe lattice matched to InP has a free hole conc entration of 2x10(19) cm(-3). This highly doped material was used as the p- type ohmic contact layer in light-emitting diodes made from ZnCdMgSe/ZnCdSe quantum-well structures grown on InP substrates that emit in the red, gree n and blue regions. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99) 03843-7].