Neutron Diffraction Characterization of the Microstrain Fields in the Dilute ZnSe:Co Magnetic Semiconductor Crystals

The real structure of the bulk Zn 1 – x Co x Se ( x = 0.01, 0.15) cubic crystals has been characterized by thermal neutron scattering. The data on the resulting microstrain field induced by atomic displacements have been obtained by analyzing the structural peak profiles measured on the investigated crystals in the tangential and radial directions. The observed signs of destabilization of the initial lattice in both crystals show that an increase in the Co content in zinc selenide to the levels close to the natural limit of solubility of the compound leads to the qualitative changes in the character of structural imperfection. In particular, the increasing probability of the occurrence of microblock substructures at high doping levels is accompanied by the dominance of tensile microstrains over the entire crystal volume.