High-resolution X-ray diffraction study of degrading ZnSe-based laser diodes

We present high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements on degraded II-VI -laser diodes. Reciprocal space maps were measured using a new single expos ure technique at a microfocus beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiatio n Facility. Both degradation in samples with and without stacking faults wa s studied. In all cases the lattice of the observed samples is astonishingl y stable even in the case of massive degradation, and lattice constant chan ges, plastic relaxation, and an increase in lattice disorder can be exclude d within the conventional sensitivity limits of high-resolution diffraction . Thus the softness of the II-VI lattice is not a main reason for degradati on. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.