Color point tuning of Y3Al5O12 : Ce3+ phosphor via Mn2+–Si4+ incorporation for white light generation

Abstract

In this paper, the color point tuning of Y₃Al₅O₁₂ : Ce³⁺ phosphor has been realized by the incorporation of Mn²⁺–Si⁴⁺. The Mn²⁺ ions occupy the dodecahedral crystallographic Y³⁺ site, while the Si⁴⁺ ions substitute the tetrahedral Al³⁺ crystallographic site in the obtained powder. Under 450 nm excitation, the YAG : Ce³⁺,Mn²⁺,Si⁴⁺ samples exhibit the typical yellowish-green emission band of the Ce³⁺ ions, as well as an orange emission band of the Mn²⁺ ions. Furthermore, the intensity ratio of the orange/yellowish-green band can be enhanced through the increase of Mn²⁺–Si⁴⁺ content. The intense orange emission band of the Mn²⁺ ions is attributed to the effective energy transfer from the Ce³⁺ to Mn²⁺ ions, which has been justified through the luminescence spectra and the fluorescence decay dynamics. The related mechanism was demonstrated to be the electric dipole–quadrupole interaction based on the Inokuti–Hirayama theoretical model, and critical distance is calculated to be 8.6 Å by the spectral overlap method.