Magnetic and luminescent properties of chromium-doped ZnSe crystals

• Comparative analysis of emission and magnetic properties of ZnSe:Cr crystals was made.
• Formation of Cr–Cr homonuclear pairs at various impurity concentrations is shown.
• Influence of singular Cr and Cr–Cr pair defects on ZnSe:Cr properties is discussed.

Magnetic and photoluminescent properties of ZnSe:Cr crystals were studied within 5–300 K temperature range. It was shown that, at chromium concentrations below 0.05 at. %, Cr ions form point substitutional defects, which exhibit ferromagnetic properties. As a result, the emission caused by radiative recombination of the chromium-bound excitons appears and the chromium intrashell emission intensity increases. At concentration of the doping impurity higher than 0.05 at. %, chromium starts to form homonuclear pairs, which are antiferromagnetic and also lead to the concentration quenching of the chromium emission bands in ZnSe:Cr crystals photoluminescent spectra.

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