Optical and electro-optical properties of ZnMgSe single crystals

The optical and electro-optical properties of large-sized (diameter, 20 mm; length, 70 mm) single crystals of Zn_{1 ? x}Mg_xSe (x ～ 0.5) semiconductor solid solutions are investigated. The crystals are grown by the vertical Bridgman-Stockbarger method. It is found that, for ZnMgSe single crystals with a magnesium content up to 25 at. %, the modulus of the difference between the electro-optical coefficients |r₁₃ ? r₃₃| at a wavelength of 0.63 μm is equal to (1.1 ± 0.22) × 10^?12 m/V, which is comparable in order of magnitude to the difference in the electro-optical coefficients for classical hexagonal A^IIB^VI compounds, such as CdS and CdSe. It is shown that single crystals of ZnMgSe solid solutions are promising materials for use in the fabrication of electro-optical modulators, λ/4-and λ/2-wavelength plates, and multifunctional optical elements operating in the range of high-intensity radiation of CO and CO₂ lasers.