Structural and luminescence effects of Ga co-doping on Ce-doped yttrium aluminate based phosphors

Abstract

Herein, we primarily focus on luminescence spectrum measurements of various types of green emitting yttrium aluminate phosphors modified with gallium (Y3Al5-xGaxO12) synthesised by solid state reaction. The luminescent emission of samples depends on sample temperature and excitation radiation such as incident X-ray, electron and laser beam. Here, we measured radioluminescence (RL), cathodoluminescence (CL), photoluminescence (PL) along with XRD in order to clarify relationship between lattice defects and the spectral luminescence emissions. The RL and CL spectra of YAG:Ce exhibit an emission band ranging from 300 to 450 nm related to YAl antisite defects. The broad emission band of garnet phosphors is shifted from 526 nm to 498 nm with increasing of Ga3+ content, while full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the band tends to be greater than the width of unmodified YAG:Ce garnet. Deconvolution of the spectrum reveals that three emission bands centred at 139, 234 and 294 °C occur in aluminate host garnets.