Ba(1.3)Ca(0.7)SiO4:Eu(2+),Mn(2+): a promising single-phase, color-tunable phosphor for near-ultraviolet white-light-emitting diodes.

In this paper, Eu(2+)-doped and Eu(2+)/Mn(2+)-codoped Ba1.3Ca0.7SiO4 phosphors were synthesized by means of a conventional solid-state reaction process. The single-phase purity was checked by means of X-ray diffraction and the Rietveld method. Under excitation at 390 nm, the emission spectra of the Eu(2+)-doped phosphors exhibit a broad-band emission centered at 500 nm caused by the electric dipole allowed transition of the Eu(2+) ions. The emission spectra of codoped phosphors show one more broad emission centered at 600 nm attributable to the transitions from the (4)T1((4)G) → (6)A1((6)S) of Mn(2+) ions. The luminescent color of the codoped phosphors can be easily adjusted from blue to red with variation of the Mn(2+) content. The energy transfer mechanism from the Eu(2+) to Mn(2+) ions in Ba1.3Ca0.7SiO4 phosphors has been confirmed to be the resonant type via dipole-quadrupole interaction, and the critical distance has been calculated quantitatively. All these results demonstrate that the Eu(2+)/Mn(2+)-codoped Ba1.3Ca0.7SiO4 phosphors can be a promising single-phase, color-tunable phosphor for near-UV white-light-emitting diodes after a further optimization process. Additionally, a great red shift from 593 to 620 nm has been observed following the increase of Mn(2+) content, and the phenomenon has been discussed in relation to the changes in the crystal field surrounding the Mn(2+) ions and the exchange interactions caused by the formation of Mn(2+) pairs.