Visible DC approach by controlling the UV light in (Eu3+/Tb3+) co-activated TBZN glasses for w-LEDs and a-Si solar cells

Abstract

Borotellurite (TBZN: TeO2–B2O3–ZnO–Na2O) glasses co-activated with Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions were fabricated by a melt quenching method to know their ability for white light sources and solar converters. Amorphous nature, morphology, elemental mapping of the chemical composition, and functional groups of glasses were investigated. The down conversion (DC) process was studied on the luminescence characteristics of Eu3+/Tb3+ co-activated TBZN glasses by ultraviolet light (UV:351 & 378 nm) conversion and these glasses exhibit the characteristic red (5D0→7F1,2,3,4) luminescence of Eu3+ along with green (5D4→7F5) and blue (5D4→7F6) luminescence of Tb3+ ions in the visible region. Upon 378 nm of UV radiation, the co-activating of Tb3+ with Eu3+ ions improves the green and red DC emissions by 2 and 4 orders of magnitude due to energy transfer (ET) from Eu3+ to Tb3+, respectively. The evidence of ET: Eu3+ → Tb3+ is stated by the declining of red emission (%) and decay times from the 5D0 level of Eu3+ ions, and the reduction in decay times was confirmed to be dipole-dipole interaction in the means of Reisfeld and Dexter's ET process. The solar spectral performance of the excitation and de-excitation spectra of (Eu3+/Tb3+):TBZN glass system is imparted with the standard solar spectrum. Results are also discussed in terms of integrated intensity of red to green emission in (%), critical transfer distance (Rc), (x, y) color coordinates, correlated color temperatures (CCT), color purity (CP), and quantum efficiency (ηQE) values to discriminate the potentiality of (Eu3+/Tb3+):TBZN glass system in white light emitting diodes and solar cells.