We have developed a high-power (5 kW) rf plasma source for nitrogen doping in ZnSe molecular beam epitaxy. Optical emission spectroscopy shows dominant atomiclike emissions around 800 nm due to excited neutral nitrogen atoms in the high power region and their intensities rapidly increase with increasing the rf power from 1 to 3 kW. The high net acceptor concentration(NA–ND)of1.2×1018 cm−3was achieved at the growth temperature of 220 °C and the activation ratio[(NA–ND)/N]as high as 60&percent;, which is the highest value so far obtained forNA–ND∼1018 cm−3.Consequently, the PL spectrum showed well-resolved deep donor-acceptor pair emissions even with highNA–ND.©1997 American Institute of Physics.