YAG phosphor powders were fabricated by the atmospheric plasma spraying method with the spray-dried spherical YAG precursor. The YAG precursor slurry for the spray drying process was prepared by the PVA solution chemical processing utilizing a domestic easy-sintered aluminum oxide (Al2O3) powder as a seed. The homogenous and viscous slurry resulted in dense granules, not hollow or porous particles. The synthesized phosphor powders demonstrated a stable YAG phase, and excellent fluorescence properties of approximately 115% compared with commercial YAG:Ce3+ powder. The microstructure of the phosphor powder had a perfect spherical shape and an average particle s ize of a pprox imately 30 μm. As a r esult of t he PKG t est of t he YAG p hosphor p owder, t he s ynthesized phosphor powders exhibited an outstanding luminous intensity, and a peak wavelength was observed at 531 nm.

Currently, yellow phosphor of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ (YAG:Ce) fluorescent material is applied to a 450~480nm blue LED light source to implement a white LED device and it has a simple structure, can obtain sufficient luminance, and is economical. However, in this method, in terms of spectrum analysis, it is difficult to mass-produce white LEDs having the same color coordinates due to color separation cause by the wide wavelength gap between blue and yellow band. There is a disadvantage that it is difficult to control optical properties such as color stability and color rendering. In addition, this method does not emit purple light in the range of 380 to 420nm, so it is white without purple color that can not implement the spectrum of the entire visible light spectrum as like sunlight. Because of this, it is difficult to implement a color rendering index(CRI) of 90 or higher, and natural light characteristics such as sunlight can not be expected. For this, need for a method of implementing sunlight with one LED by using a method of combining phosphors with one light source, rather than a method of combining red, blue, and yellow LEDs. Using this method, the characteristics of an artificial sunlight LED device with a spectrum similar to that of sunlight were demonstrated by implementing LED devices of various color temperatures with high color rendering by injecting phosphors into a 405nm deep blue LED light source. In order to find the spectrum closest to sunlight, different combinations of phosphors were repeatedly fabricated and tested. In addition, reliability and mass productivity were verified through temperature and humidity tests and ink penetration tests.

In this study, Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ red phosphors were synthesized at different temperatures using a solid state reaction method. The crystal structures, surface and optical properties of the Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ red phosphors were investigated using Xray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and photoluminescence (PL) analyses. From XRD results, the crystal structure of the Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ red phosphors was determined to be cubic. The maximum emission spectra were observed for the Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ red phosphor prepared by annealing for 4h at 1,700 oC. The 565~590 nm photoluminescent spectra of the Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ red phosphors is associated with the 5D0 → 7F2 magnetic dipole transition of the Eu3+ ions. The intensity of the photoluminescent spectra in the red phosphors is more dominant for the magnetic dipole transition than the electric dipole transition with increasing annealing temperature. The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) coordinates of Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ red phosphors prepared by 1,700 oC annealing temperature are X = 0.5994, Y = 0.3647.

Y2O3:Eux (x = 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.05, 0.1 mol) phosphors are synthesized with different concentrations of Eu3+ ions by solvothermal method. The crystal structure, surface and optical properties of the Eu doped Y2O3 phosphors are investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) analyses. From X-ray diffraction (XRD) results, the crystal structure of the Eu doped Y2O3 phosphor is found to be cubic. The maximum emission spectra of the Eu doped Y2O3 phosphors are observed at 0.05 mol Eu3+ concentration. The photoluminescence of 615 nm in the Eu doped Y2O3 phosphors is associated with 5D0 → 7F2 transition of Eu3+ ions. The decrease in emission intensity of 0.1 mol Eu doped Y2O3 is interpreted by concentration quenching. The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) coordinates of 0.05 mol Eu doped Y2O3 phosphor are X = 0.6547, Y = 0.3374.

Lu3Al5-xGaxO12:Ce3+,Cr3+ powders are prepared using a solid-state reaction method. To determine the crystal structure, Rietveld refinement is performed. The results indicate that Ga3+ ions preferentially occupied tetrahedral rather than octahedral sites. The lattice constant linearly increases, obeying Vegard’s law, despite the strong preference of Ga3+ for the tetrahedral sites. Increasing x led to a blue-shift of the Ce3+ emission band in the green region and a change in the emission intensity. Persistent luminescence is observed from the powders prepared with x = 2–3, occurring through a trapping and detrapping process between Ce3+ and Cr3+ ions. The longest persistent luminescence is achieved for x = 2; its lifetime is at least 30 min. The findings are explained using crystal structure refinement, crystal field splitting, optical band gap, and electron trapping mechanism.

SrMoO4:RE3+ (RE=Dy, Sm, Tb, Eu, Dy/Sm) phosphors are prepared by co-precipitation method. The effects of the type and the molar ratio of activator ions on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the phosphor particles are investigated. X-ray diffraction data reveal that all the phosphors have a tetragonal system with a main (112) diffraction peak. The emission spectra of the SrMoO4 phosphors doped with several activator ions indicate different multicolor emissions: strong yellow-emitting light at 573 nm for Dy3+, red light at 643 nm for Sm3+, green light at 545 nm for Tb3+, and reddish orange light at 614 nm for Eu3+ activator ions. The Dy3+ singly-doped SrMoO4 phosphor shows two dominant emission peaks at 479 and 573 nm corresponding to the 4F9/2→6H15/2 magnetic dipole transition and 4F9/2→6H13/2 electric dipole transition, respectively. For Dy3+ and Sm3+ doubly-doped SrMoO4 phosphors, two kinds of emission peaks are observed. The two emission peaks at 479 and 573 nm are attributed to 4F9/2→6H15/2 and 4F9/2→6H13/2 transitions of Dy3+ and two emission bands centered at 599 and 643 nm are ascribed to 4G5/2→6H7/2 and 4G5/2→6H9/2 transitions of Sm3+. As the concentration of Sm3+ increases from 1 to 5 mol%, the intensities of the emission bands of Dy3+ gradually decrease; those of Sm3+ slowly increase and reach maxima at 5 mol% of Sm3+ ions, and then rapidly decrease with increasing molar ratio of Sm3+ ions due to the concentration quenching effect. Fluorescent security inks based on as-prepared phosphors are synthesized and designed to demonstrate an anticounterfeiting application.

The co-doping effect of aliovalent metal ions such as Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, and Zn2+ on the photoluminescence of the Y2O3:Eu3+ red phosphor, prepared by spray pyrolysis, is analyzed. Mg2+ metal doping is found to be helpful for enhancing the luminescence of Y2O3:Eu3+. When comparing the luminescence intensity at the optimum doping level of each Mg2+ ion, the emission enhancement shows the order of Zn2+ Ba2+ > Ca2+ > Sr3+> Mg2+. The highest emission occurs when doping approximately 1.3% Zn2+, which is approximately 127% of the luminescence intensity of pure Y2O3:Eu3+. The highest emission was about 127% of the luminescence intensity of pure Y2O3:Eu3+ when doping about 1.3% Zn2+. It is determined that the reason (Y, M)2O3:Eu3+ has improved luminescence compared to that of Y2O3:Eu3+ is because the crystallinity of the matrix is improved and the non-luminous defects are reduced, even though local lattice strain is formed by the doping of aliovalent metal. Further improvement of the luminescence is achieved while reducing the particle size by using Li2CO3 as a flux with organic additives.

Lu(Nb,Ta)O4:Eu3+ powders are synthesized by a solid-state reaction process using LiCl and Li2SO4 fluxes. The photoluminescence (PL) excitation spectra of the synthesized powders consist of broad bands at approximately 270 nm and sharp peaks in the near ultraviolet region, which are assigned to the Nb5+-O2− charge transfer of [NbO4]3− niobates and the f-f transition of Eu3+, respectively. The PL emission spectra exhibit red peaks assigned to the 5D0 → 7FJ transitions of Eu3+. The strongest peak is obtained at 614 nm (5D0 → 7F2), indicating that the Eu3+ ions are incorporated into the Lu3+ asymmetric sites. The addition of fluxes causes the increase in emission intensity, and Li2SO4 flux is more effective for enhancement in emission intensity than is LiCl flux. The substitution of Ta5+ for Nb5+ results in an increase or decrease in the emission intensity of LuNb1-xTaxO4:Eu3+ powders, depending on amount and kind of flux. The findings are explained using particle morphology, modification of the [NbO4]3− structure, formation of substructure of LuTaO4, and change in the crystal field surrounding the Eu3+ ions.

Green BaSi2O2N2:0.02Eu2+ phosphor is synthesized through a two-step solid state reaction method. The first firing is for crystallization, and the second firing is for reduction of Eu3+ into Eu2+ and growth of crystal grains. By thermal analysis, the three-time endothermic reaction is confirmed: pyrolysis reaction of BaCO3 at 900 oC and phase transitions at 1,300 oC and 1,400 oC. By structural analysis, it is confirmed that single phase [BaSi2O2N2] is obtained with Cmcm space group of orthorhombic structure. After the first firing the morphology is rod-like type and, after the second firing, the morphology becomes round. Our phosphor shows a green emission with a peak position of 495 nm and a peak width of 32 nm due to the 4f65d1→4f7 transition of Eu2+ ion. An LED package (chip size 5.6 x 3.0 mm) is fabricated with a mixture of our green BaSi2O2N2, and yellow Y3Al5O12 and red Sr2Si5N8 phosphors. The color rendering index (90) is higher than that of the mixture without our green phosphor (82), which indicates that this is an excellent green candidate for white LEDs with a deluxe color rendering index.

BaSiO3:RE3+ (RE = Sm or Eu) phosphor powders with different concentrations of activator ions are synthesized using the solid-state reaction method. The effects of the concentration of activator ions on the structural, photoluminescent, and morphological properties of the barium silicate phosphors are investigated. X-ray diffraction data reveals that the crystal structure of all the phosphors, regardless of the type and the concentration of the activator ions, is an orthorhombic system with a main (111) diffraction peak. The grain particles agglomerate together to form larger clusters with increasing concentrations of activator ions. The emission spectra of the Sm3+-doped BaSiO3 phosphors under excitation at 406 nm consist of an intense orange band at 604 nm and three weak bands centered at 567, 651, and 711 nm, respectively. As the concentration of Sm3+ increases from 1 to 5 mol%, the intensities of all the emission bands gradually increase, reach maxima at 5 mol% of Sm3+ ions, and then decrease significantly with further increases in the Sm3+ concentration due to the concentration quenching phenomenon. For the Eu3+-doped BaSiO3 phosphors, a strong red emission band at 621 nm and several weak bands are observed. The optimal orange and red light emissions of the BaSiO3 phosphors are obtained when the concentrations of Sm3+ and Eu3+ ions are 5 mol% and 15 mol%, respectively.

We prepared Y3Al5O12;Ce3+,Pr3+ transparent ceramic phosphor using a solid state reaction method. By XRD pattern analysis and SEM measurement, our phosphors reveal an Ia-3d(230) space group of cubic structure, and the transparent ceramic phosphor has a polycrystal state with some internal cracks and pores. In the Raman scattering measurement with an increasing temperature, lattice vibrations of the transparent ceramic phosphor decrease due to its more perfect crystal structure and symmetry. Thus, low phonon generation is possible at high temperature. Optical properties of the transparent ceramic phosphor have broader excitation spectra due to a large internal reflection. There is a wide emission band from the green to yellow region, and the red color emission between 610 nm and 640 nm is also observed. The red-yellow phosphor optical characteristics enable a high Color Rendering Index (CRI) in combination with blue emitting LED or LD. Due to its good thermal properties of low phonon generation at high temperature and a wide emission range for high CRI characteristics, the transparent ceramic phosphor is shown to be a good candidate for high power solid state white lighting.

Ca3MgSi2O8:Eu2+(x = 0.003, 0.005, 0.007, 0.01, 0.03 mol) white phosphors for Light Emitting Diodes(LED) are synthesized with different concentrations of Eu2+ ions using a solid state reaction method. The crystal structures, surface and optical properties of the phosphors are investigated using X-Ray Diffraction(XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM) and photoluminescence(PL). The X-Ray Diffraction results reveals that the crystal structure of the Ca3MgSi2O8:Eu2+ is a monoclinic system. The particle size of Ca3MgSi2O8:Eu2+ white phosphors is about 1~5 μm, as confirmed by SEM images. The maximum emission spectra of the phosphors are observed at 0.01 mol Eu2+ concentration. The decrease in PL intensity in the Ca3MgSi2O8:Eu2+ white phosphors with Eu2+ concentration is interpreted by concentration quenching. The International Commission on Illumination(CIE) coordinate of 0.01 mol Eu doped Ca3MgSi2O8 is X = 0.2136, Y = 0.3771.

LuNbO4:0.2Yb3+,xTm3+ powders were prepared using a solid-state reaction process. The effects of the amount of Tm on up-conversion(UC) and down-conversion(DC) luminescence properties are investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm that Yb3+ and Tm3+ ions are successfully incorporated into Lu sites. Under 980 nm excitation, the UC spectra of the powders predominantly exhibit strong near-infrared emission bands that peak at 805 nm, whereas weak 480 nm emission bands are observed as well. The emission bands are assigned to the 1G4→ 3H6 (480 nm) and 3H4→ 3H6 (805 nm) transitions of the Tm3+ ions via an energy transfer from Yb3+ to Tm3+; two- and three-photon UC processes are responsible for the 805 and 480 nm emissions, respectively. The DC emission spectra exhibit blue emission (1D2→ 3F4) of Tm3+ at 458 nm. The amount of Tm affects the emission intensity with the strongest emissions at x = 0.007 and 0.02 for the UC and DC luminescence, respectively. The results demonstrate that LuNbO4:Yb3+,Tm3+ phosphors are suitable for bio-applications.

Cost-effective functional phosphor nanoparticles are prepared by introducing low-cost SiO2 spheres to rareearth phosphor (YVO4:Eu3+, YVO4:Er3+, and YVO4:Nd3+) shells using a sol-gel synthetic method. These functional nanoparticles are characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and general photoluminescence spectra. The SiO2 sphere occupying the interior of the conventional phosphor is advantageous in significantly reducing the cost of expensive rare-earth phosphor nanoparticles. The sol-gel process facilitates the core–shell structure formation; the rare-earth shell phosphor has strong interactions with chelating agents on the surfaces of SiO2 nanoparticles and thus forms layers of several nanometers in thickness. The photoluminescence wavelength is simply tuned by replacing the active materials of Eu3+, Er3+, and Nd3+. Moreover, the photoluminescent properties of the core–shell nanoparticles can be optimized by manipulating the specific contents of active materials in the phosphors. Our simple approach substitutes low-cost SiO2 for expensive rare-earth-based phosphor materials to realize cost-effective phosphor nanoparticles for various applications.

Nanosized Gd2O3:Eu3+ red phosphor is prepared using a template method from metal salt impregnated into a crystalline cellulose and is dispersed using a bead mill wet process. The driving force of the surface coating between Gd2O3:Eu3+ and mica is induced by the Coulomb force. The red phosphor nanosol is effectively coated on mica flakes by the electrostatic interaction between positively charged Gd2O3:Eu3+ and negatively charged mica above pH 6. To prepare Gd2O3:Eu3+-coated mica (Gd2O3:Eu/mica), the coating conditions are optimized, including the stirring temperature, pH, calcination temperature, and coating amount (wt%) of Gd2O3:Eu3+. In spite of the low luminescence of the Gd2O3:Eu/mica, the luminescent property is recovered after calcination above 600℃ and is enhanced by increasing the Gd2O3:Eu3+ coating amount. The Gd2O3:Eu/mica is characterized using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, zeta potential measurements, and fluorescence spectrometer analysis.

Gd2O3:Eu3+ red phosphors were prepared by template method from crystalline cellulose impregnated by metal salt. The crystallite size and photoluminescence(PL) property of Gd2O3:Eu3+ red phosphors were controlled by varying the calcination temperature and Eu3+ mol ratio. The nano dispersion of Gd2O3:Eu3+ was also conducted with a bead mill wet process. Dependent on the time of bead milling, Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanosol of around 100 nm (median particle size : D50) was produced. As the bead milling process proceeded, the luminescent efficiency decreased due to the low crystallinity of the Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanoparticles. In spite of the low PL property of Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanosol, it was observed that the photoluminescent property was recovered after re-calcination. In addition, in the dispersed nanosol treated at 85 oC, a self assembly phenomenon between particles appeared, and the particles changed from spherical to rod-shaped. These results indicate that particle growth occurs due to mutual assembly of Gd(OH)3 particles, which is the hydration of Gd2O3 particles, in aqueous solvent at 85 oC.

A series of CaNb2O6:Dy3+, CaNb2O6:Eu3+ and CaNb2O6:Dy3+, Eu3+ phosphors were prepared by solid-state reaction process. The effects of activator ions on the structural, morphological and optical properties of the phosphor particles were investigated. XRD patterns showed that all the phosphors had an orthorhombic system with a main (131) diffraction peak. For the Dy3+-doped CaNb2O6 phosphor powders, the excitation spectra consisted of one broad band centered at 267 nm in the range of 210-310 nm and three weak peaks; the main emission band showed an intense yellow band at 575 nm that corresponded to the 4F9/2→ 6H13/2 transition of Dy3+ ions. For the Eu3+-doped CaNb2O6 phosphor, the emission spectra under ultraviolet excitation at 263 nm exhibited one strong reddish-orange band centered at 612 nm and four weak bands at 536, 593, 650, and 705 nm. For the Dy3+ and Eu3+-codoped CaNb2O6 phosphor powders, blue and yellow emission bands due to the 4F9/2→ 6H15/2 and 4F9/2→ 6H13/2 transitions of Dy3+ ions and a main reddish-orange emission line at 612 nm resulting from the 5D0→ 7F2 transition of Eu3+ ions were observed. As the concentration of Eu3+ ions increased from 1 mol% to 10 mol%, the intensities of the emissions due to Dy3+ ions rapidly decreased, while those of the emission bands originating from the Eu3+ ions gradually increased, reached maxima at 10 mol%, and then slightly decreased at 15 mol% of Eu3+. These results indicate that white light emission can be achieved by modulating the concentrations of the Eu3+ ions incorporated into the Dy3+-doped CaNb2O6 host lattice.

In the construction of a white LED, the region of the red emission is a very important factor. Red light emitting materials play an important role in improving the color rendering index of commercial lighting. These materials also increase the color gamut of display products. Therefore, the development of novel phosphors with red emission and the study of color tuning are actively underway to improve product quality. In the present study, heuristic algorithms were used to search for phosphors capable of increasing the color rendering index and color gamut. Using a heuristic algorithm, the phosphors that were identified were SrGe4O9:Mn4+ and BaGe4O9:Mn4+. Emission spectra study confirmed that these phosphors emit light in the deep red wavelength region, which can fulfill the requirement for the improvement in color rendering index and color gamut for a white LED.

The discovery of new luminescent materials for use in light-emitting diodes(LEDs) has been of great interest, since LED-based solid state lighting applications are attracting a lot of attention in the energy saving and environmental fields. Recent research trends have centered on the discovery of new luminescent materials rather than on fine changes in well-known luminescent materials. In a sense, the novelty of our study beyond simple modification or improvement of existing phosphors. A good strategy for the discovery of new fluorescent materials is to introduce activators that are appropriate for conventional inorganic compounds, that have well-defined structures in the crystal structure database, but have not been considered as phosphor hosts. Another strategy is to discover new host compounds with structures that cannot be found in any existing databases. We have pursued these two strategies at the same time using composite search technology with particle swarm optimization(PSO). In this study, using PSO, we have tracked down a search space composed of Sr-Al-Si-O-N and have discovered a new phosphor structure with yellow luminescence; this material is a potential candidate for UV-LED applications

Nanosized and aggregated Y2O3:Eu Red phosphors were prepared by template method from metal salt impregnated into crystalline cellulose. The particle size and photoluminescent property of Y2O3:Eu red phosphors were controlled by variation of the calcination temperature and time. Dispersed nanosol was also obtained from the aggregated Y2O3:Eu Red phosphor under bead mill wet process. The dispersion property of the Y2O3:Eu nanosol was optimized by controlling the bead size, bead content ratio and milling time. The median particle size (D50) of Y2O3:Eu nanosol was found to be around 100 nm, and to be below 90 nm after centrifuging. In spite of the low photoluminescent properties of Y2O3:Eu nanosol, it was observed that the photoluminescent property recovered after re-calcination. The dispersion and photoluminescent properties of Y2O3:Eu nanosol were investigated using a particle size analyzer, FE-SEM, and a fluorescence spectrometer.