Evidence of N-related compensating donors in lightly doped ZnSe:N

We have used a nitrogen/argon mixed plasma to dope p-type ZnSe during molecular beam epitaxy. We show that this technique allows control of the net acceptor concentration in the whole range from 10(15) to 10(18) cm(-3). The unique ability to fine tune the doping at very low levels provides new insight into the compensation mechanisms. We provide a direct demonstration that not only the deep but also the shallow compensating donor detected by photoluminescence spectroscopy is a N-related defect. Further, our results show that both these compensating donors are generated from the very onset of N incorporation. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)02615-7].