Enhancement of luminescence, thermal stability and quantum efficiency with Ce3+ co-doped SrMg1·06Al9·94O17:Tb3+ phosphor

Abstract

In this study, the photoluminescence properties of a series of SrMg1·06Al9·94O17 (SMAO):Ce3+, Tb3+, and SMAO:Tb3+ phosphors were investigated. At an excitation wavelength of 230 nm, the SMAO:Tb3+ phosphor emitted green light at 544 nm. When Ce3+ ions were co-doped into SMAO:Tb3+, the excitation band red-shifted from 230 to 269 nm, and the emission intensity was enhanced up to approximately 28 times compared with that of Ce3+-free SMAO:Tb3+ because of the efficient energy transfer from Ce3+ → Tb3+ in the SMAO host. Moreover, with the introduction of Ce3+, the thermal stability of the phosphors improved significantly. The luminescence intensity of the SMAO:3 mol%Tb3+ phosphor at 450 K was approximately 47% of that at room temperature. With the co-doping of Ce3+ ions, the emission intensity at 450 K was as high as 67%. The internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of SMAO:3 mol%Tb3+, 3 mol%Ce3+ increased to 55.14%. The SMAO:Tb3+,Ce3+ phosphors have potential applications in solid-state lighting.