Photoluminescence properties of a novel red emitting Ba₁₀F₂(PO ₄)₆:Eu³⁺ phosphor

A novel red-emitting phosphor Ba10F2(PO4)6:Eu(3+) is synthesized by a high-temperature solid-state reaction. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the phase formation of Ba10F2(PO4)6:Eu(3+) materials. The photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and emission (PL) spectra, the concentration dependence of the emission intensity, decay curves and Commission International de I'Eclairage (CIE) of the phosphors are investigated. It is observed that Ba10F2(PO4)6:Eu(3+) phosphors exhibit two dominating bands situated at 591 and 616 nm, originating from the (5)D0→(7)F1 and (5)D0→(7)F2 transition of the Eu(3+) ion, respectively. The decay time is also determined for various concentrations of Eu(3+) in Ba10F2(PO4)6:Eu(3+). Crystal lattice, PL spectra and decay time analysis indicate there exist two isolated Eu(3+) crystallography sites in Ba10F2(PO4)6. The calculated color coordinates lie in the red region. Therefore, Ba10F2(PO4)6:Eu(3+) phosphors may be good candidates for red components in near-UV (NUV) white LEDs.