Improved thermal stability and quantum efficiency of novel cyan phosphors toward full-visible-spectrum lighting

Abstract

Highly efficient cyan phosphors have been identified as essential components in addressing the cyan gap present in the emission spectra of traditional white light emitting diodes. Here, we report novel Ba4Ca1-yLay(PO4)3Cl:Eu2+ (y = 0–0.15) phosphors with broadband cyan emission based on an efficient and positive cationic heterovalent substitution strategy. Under the near ultraviolet excitation, the quantum yield and thermal stability are progressively enhanced by introducing La3+ to replace the Ca2+ ions, owing to the band gap and killer centers engineering. The Ba3.92Ca0.9La0.1(PO4)3Cl:0.08Eu2+ phosphor exhibits a pronounced emission band in the cyan-green spectral range with a high internal quantum efficiency of 88.0% and an impressive external quantum efficiency of 72.1%. The utilization of Ba3.92Ca0.9La0.1(PO4)3Cl:0.08Eu2+ as the cyan emitting component in the fabrication of white light-emitting diode (WLED) has demonstrated remarkable advancements in the color rendering index value, emphasizing the potential of these phosphors for future implementation in the next generation full-visible-spectrum WLED lighting. Our findings offer evidences that defect engineering techniques effectively enhance the performance of light-emitting diode (LED) phosphors.