Near infrared emission of Eu2+ ions in Ca3Sc2Si3O12

The luminescent properties of Eu2+ ions in Ca3Sc2Si3O12 have been studied for the first time. The Eu2+-doped Ca3Sc2Si3O12 exhibit a broadband emission in the 720–1100 nm region with a maximum at about 840 nm, which is due to the 4f65d → 4f7 transition of Eu2+ ions. This interpretation is supported by the appearance of the fine structure in the emission spectrum of Eu2+-doped Ca3Sc2Si3O12 at 77 K. Probably, the near infrared emission of Eu2+ ions in Ca3Sc2Si3O12 is the most long-wavelength 4f65d → 4f7 emission of these ions within more than three hundreds of Eu2+-doped inorganic compounds studied to date.