Luminescence properties, energy transfer and thermal stability of white emitting phosphor Sr3(PO4)2:Ce3+/Tb3+/Mn2+ for white LEDs

A series of Sr3(PO4)2:Ce3+/Mn2+/Tb3+ phosphors were synthesized by a high temperature solid phase method. After introducing Ce3+ as sensitizer in Sr3(PO4)2:Ce3+/Mn2+, the efficient energy transfer from Ce3+ to Mn2+ was observed and analyzed in detail, and Sr3(PO4)2:Ce3+/Mn2+ was demonstrated to be color tunable, changing from blue to orange red. In addition, Tb3+ ion, which mainly emits green light, was further added into the Sr3(PO4)2:Ce3+/Mn2+. Due to the addition of this green emission, the white emitting phosphors with good quality were obtained. At the same time, the energy transfer mechanisms among Ce3+, Tb3+ and Mn2+ ions were also analyzed in detail. The results show that Sr3(PO4)2:Ce3+/Mn2+/Tb3+ is a promising candidate for white light emitting diodes.