Luminescent properties of a novel green-emitting gallium borate phosphor under vacuum ultraviolet excitation

Abstract

Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) excitation and emission properties of a new Tb3+-activated green-emitting phosphor with huntite-type gallium borate, LnGa(3)(BO3)(4):Tb3+ (Ln=Y, Gd), are investigated. Overall absorption bands are in the range of 120-250 nm and can be tentatively interpreted in terms of the charge transfer transition from host to rare earth ions and the Tb3+ activator. Additionally, an appropriate atomic ratio of Y3+/Gd3+ in the host compound enhances both the excitation and emission efficiency under VUV excitation. Enhanced absorption efficiency for the VUV light makes these novel phosphors the prominent luminescent materials with plasma-discharge conditions, by converting the VUV radiation to the visible light. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.