Radiation damage and decay characteristics of zinc selenide emission bands and their equivalence to zinc sulphide emission bands

Irradiation of zinc selenide at ～ 20°K with electrons capable of displacing zinc atoms results in the production of cathodoluminescence emission bands at 610 and 630 nm. Enhancement of the 630 nm emission band by electron damage requires the presence of copper in the samples. These emissions have been shown to give a peak energy shift to lower energies after excitation, as is characteristic of donor-acceptor pair recombination. It is concluded that the 610 and 630 nm emission bands of zinc selenide are equivalent to the self-activated and copper green emission bands of zinc sulphide. The 530 nm emission band of zinc selenide is not sensitive to electron damage, shows no time shift and is thought to be equivalent to the copper blue emission of zinc sulphide.