We have described the structural and optical characterization on the lapped and polished (1 0 0) surface of ZnSe bulk crystals using atomic force microscope (AFM) and 4.2 K photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The colloidal silica solution with a particle size of 10-20 mu m for polishing with a surface roughness of about 0.24 nm can be obtained, corresponding to the fluctuation of a monolayer. The PL properties indicate that the linewidth of the I, line tan exciton bound to a neutral donor) is about 3.3 meV, which is comparable to that of the cleaved surface. The homoepitaxial films have been grown at 325 degrees C on the polished(1 0 0)ZnSe surface and their defect-related PL properties have been studied as a function of the surface-cleaning temperature.