Eu[sup 3+] Luminescence, Ce[sup 4+]→Eu[sup 3+] Energy Transfer, and White-Red Light Generation in Sr[sub 2]CeO[sub 4]

Photoluminescence studies on pure and compounds are presented. The pure compound displays a broad band in its emission spectrum when excited with 254 nm, which peaks at 467 nm and is due to the energy transfer between the molecular orbital of the ligand and charge transfer state of the . The excitation spectrum shows a broad band which peaks at 300 nm. From the spectral properties, it is established that has good potential for application as a blue phosphor in low pressure mercury vapor lamps and in TV tubes. The spectral features, when doped at the site either singly or along with , have been studied and compared with the results obtained by doping the ion at the site. At low concentrations (≤4 mol %), the observed excitation and emission spectra reveal excellent energy transfer between and . This energy transfer generates white light with a color tuning from blue‐white to red‐white, the tuning being dependent on the concentration. At high concentrations (5–15 mol %), these compounds exhibit efficient red emission under 254, 355, and 466 nm excitations. The observed luminescence properties of these compounds are similar to those of the known red phosphor. The emission intensity of (>0.05) under 466 nm excitation is twice that of . The results establish that the compound is an efficient "single host lattice" for the generation of white and red lights under UV irradiation. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.