Red emission from Mn2+ on a tetrahedral site in MgSiN2

Solubility and photoluminescence properties of Mn2+ in MgSiN2 host lattice are reported in this paper. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that Mn2+ ions can be totally incorporated into MgSiN2 host lattice, forming a complete solid solution with MnSiN2. Mn2+ on a tetrahedral site exhibits a red emission band in the wavelength range of 550–750 nm in MgSiN2. The long-wavelength emission of Mn2+ despite tetrahedral coordination in MgSiN2 is attributed to the effect of strong crystal field experienced by Mn2+ in a nitrogen coordination environment. Also there exists energy transfer between MgSiN2 host lattice and Mn2+ activator. The potential applications of this phosphor have been pointed out.