Thermally stable deep-blue Ba1.2Ca0.8SiO4:Ce3+ phosphor for white-light-emitting diode

A novel deep-blue phosphor, Ba1.2Ca0.8SiO4:Ce3+, has been developed for white-light-emitting diodes. The phosphor exhibits two absorption bands at 280 and 325 nm, and an intense deep-blue emission peaking at 400 nm. With increasing Ce/Li concentrations, the lattice expands, and the emission peak is blueshifted. This correlation is explained in terms of the crystal field effect and the configurational coordinate diagram. This phosphor shows much higher thermal quenching temperature (225 °C) due to a weak electron–phonon interaction. Thus, it can be used as a sensitizer phosphor to excite other green or red phosphors, or a promising deep-blue phosphor for white-light-emitting diodes.