One-temperature and two-temperature synthesis methods for GaSe, a nonlinear optical compound, were developed. X-ray diffraction showed that pure alpha-GaSe was synthesized. By Vertical Bridgman method using spontaneous nucleation the GaSe single crystals were grown with diameter 20-25 mm and length 40-45 mm and yield similar to 60%. The rocking curve for the studied GaSe sample was symmetric and its FWHM did not exceed 3', which corresponds to the dislocation density at the level of 10(12)-10(13)cm(-2), SEM showed imperfections of surface of non-etched cleaved GaSe. According the obtained data the absorption coefficient at 1.06 mu m and 2 mu m is similar to 0.1 cm(-1). At 9.3-10.9 mu m for nonpolarized light the calculations give absorption coefficient similar to 0.1-0.12 cm(-1). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.