Blue-light-excitable broadband yellow-emitting CaGd2HfSc(AlO4)3:Ce3+ garnet phosphors for white light-emitting diode devices with improved color rendering index

The current commercial white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are generally based on the combination of blue LED chips and Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ yellow phosphors. However, because of the lack of red component, such white LED devices exhibit cool white-light emissions with low color rendering index (Ra < 75, R9 < 0). Therefore, it is urgent to discover new blue-light-excitable yellow-emitting phosphors with enhanced red emissions for fabricating high color-quality white LEDs. In the present work, we demonstrate a novel broadband yellow-emitting CaGd₂HfScAl₃O₁₂:Ce³⁺ garnet phosphor for blue-light-excited white LEDs with improved color rendering index. The as-prepared CaGd₂HfScAl₃O₁₂:Ce³⁺ garnet phosphor possesses a cubic structure with Ia$\overline{3}$d space group, and the unit cell parameters of the representative CaGd₂HfScAl₃O₁₂:2%Ce³⁺ phosphor are a = b = c = 12.450 Å, α = β = γ = 90°, and V = 1,929.59(4) ų. Impressively, we find that the CaGd₂HfScAl₃O₁₂:Ce³⁺ garnet phosphor shows an intense absorption band in the 300–500 nm wavelength range with a maximum at 452 nm owing to the 4f→5d transition of Ce³⁺ ions. On 452 nm excitation, the optimal CaGd₂HfScAl₃O₁₂:2%Ce³⁺ sample exhibits a broad asymmetric yellow emission band in the wavelength range of 470–750 nm with peak at 564 nm and full width at half maximum of 151 nm. The Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage chromaticity coordinates and internal quantum efficiency of the CaGd₂HfScAl₃O₁₂:2%Ce³⁺ sample are (0.4485, 0.5157) and 30.4%, respectively. Finally, a white LED device is fabricated by combing a 450 nm blue LED chip with commercial Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ yellow-emitting phosphor, which generates white light with low color rendering index (CRI; Ra = 74.7, R9 = ?12.7) and high correlated color temperature (CCT = 6,554 K) under the 60 mA driving current. In sharp contrast, another white LED device, which is made by coating our as-prepared CaGd₂HfScAl₃O₁₂:2%Ce³⁺ yellow-emitting phosphors onto the surface of a 450 nm blue LED chip, produces white-light emission with high CRI value (Ra = 84.5, R9 = 26.3) and relatively low CCT of 5,649 K. This work reveals that the newly discovered broadband yellow-emitting CaGd₂HfScAl₃O₁₂:Ce³⁺ phosphors can serve as a potential color converter in high-color-quality phosphor-converted white LEDs.     

Low temperature synthesis and luminescence investigations of YAG:Ce,Eu nanocomposite powder for warm white light-emitting diode

The preparation of the cerium and europium co-doped YAG materials as well as the study for their synthesis and emitting mechanism of the energy transfer between Ce³⁺ and Eu³⁺ were investigated in the present study. YAG:Ce³⁺, Eu³⁺ powders were synthesized using a high-energy ball milling method in different sintering temperature and atmosphere: air and H₂/N₂. The effects of the synthesis procedure on the crystallinity, morphology, structure, and luminescence spectra were examined by X-ray diffraction, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The europium co-doped YAG:Ce³⁺ phosphors is improved the chromaticity coordinates.