Synthesis and luminescence properties of Ba₃Lu(PO₄)₃:Sm³⁺ phosphor for white light-emitting diodes.

A series of Ba₃Lu(PO₄)₃:Sm³⁺ phosphors were prepared by traditional high temperature solid-state reaction methods. The site-preferred occupancy of Sm³⁺ in Ba₃Lu(PO₄)₃ and the luminescence properties of Ba₃Lu(PO₄)₃:Sm³⁺ were studied combined with X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra, and emission (PL) spectra as well as temperature-dependent PL and decay curves. The PL intensity is improved with increasing Sm³⁺ content and the optimal dopant content is 0.05. The temperature-dependent PL spectra indicate that the emission intensity decreases with the temperature because of the enhancement of the non-radiative transition. The results indicate that these reddish-orange emitting phosphors could be for potential applications in w-LEDs.