Defect level induced negative thermal quenching of β-Ba3LuAl2O7.5: Yb3+, Er3+ phosphor

Abstract

Temperature-dependent behavior of phosphors has recently attracted significant research attention. This is due to the widespread applications of phosphors. Unfortunately, the thermal quenching effect in many phosphors greatly limits their performance at high temperatures. Herein, negative thermal quenching phosphor β-Ba3LuAl2O7.5: 0.3Yb3+, 0.03Er3+ is synthesized using the high-temperature solid-state method. X-ray Rietveld refinement and EPR results indicate the defect state of oxygen vacancy. Temperature-dependent upconversion luminescence spectra demonstrate that the green and red emission intensities increase with temperature to reach maximums at 398K and 348K respectively. Diffuse reflectance spectrum and downshifting luminescence spectrum prove that the defect state is near the 4F7/2 state of Er3+ ions. The defect state traps electrons at room temperature and releases them to populate the 4F7/2 state of Er3+ ion at elevated temperatures to cause the observed thermal enhancement of upconversion luminescence. This material's negative thermal quenching effect makes it a suitable candidate for applications in displays and anti-counterfeiting.