Phase‐matched second‐harmonic generation in the highly &khgr;(2)‐active layered semiconductor GaSe is demonstrated in the near‐infrared frequency region. Due to the high indices of refraction, the internal phase‐matching angle of about 30° is beyond the critical angle of total reflection for az‐cut crystal. This problem is overcome by sandwiching the crystal between two half‐cylindrical glass rods, which leads to a shift of the critical angle to larger values. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.