Liquid phase growth of GaSe_1−xTe_x mixed crystals by temperature difference method under controlled vapor pressure

GaSe crystal is one of a group of nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals expected to be utilized as a highly efficient generators of terahertz waves. However, GaSe has some drawbacks that limit it from further application. Firstly, it has poor crystallinity and, secondly, the layers are prone to exfoliation. In this work, crystal growth was carried out at a constant low temperature under a controlled Se vapor pressure to improve the crystallinity. In addition, Te was added in order to grow mixed crystals to improve the bonding forces between the layers. X-ray fluorescence was used to measure the Te composition in the grown crystals. Red shifts of the excitation peaks were found from photoluminescence with increasing Te composition, indicating that mixed crystals were successfully grown. The lattice constant, c, was calculated from the results of X-ray diffraction and was shown to have an almost linear dependence on Te composition.