Photoluminescence properties of Ce and Eu co-doped YVO4 crystals

Abstract

High-quality Ce3+ and Eu3+ co-doped YVO4 crystals were grown by the Czochralski method in a medium frequency induction furnace. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed that they were tetragonal crystals and no changes in the crystalline phases were observed after doping. The luminescence of YVO4: Ce3+ and YVO4: Ce3+/Eu3+ crystals were measured at room temperature. Both YVO4: Ce3+ and YVO4: Ce3+/Eu3+ crystals can be excited at 325nm: the former emitted blue light while the latter emitted red light. This phenomenon can be explained by the V–O charge transfer transitions. Particularly, the mechanisms of Photoluminescence (PL) and Photoluminescence Excitation (PLE) of YVO4: Ce3+ and YVO4: Ce3+/Eu3+ crystals have been thoroughly investigated in this work. The Commission International Eclairage (CIE) coordinates were also calculated for these crystals. The calculated CIE coordinates indicated that the YVO4: Ce3+/Eu3+ crystal prepared in this work, when excited at 397nm, could be a promising material for white light-emitting diodes.