Anti-thermal Quenching in Blue Phosphor Ba3YAl2O7.5: Tm3+

Abstract Blue-emitting phosphors are essential components of the color plasma display panel (PDP), white light-emitting diodes (W-LEDs), and liquid crystal display (LCD) backlights. However, the thermal quenching effect of the phosphor is a serious problem in practice. In this work, a new kind of blue phosphor Ba 3 YAl 2 O 7.5 : x Tm 3+ was prepared and the luminescent characteristic and thermal stability were studied. Under 358 nm excitation, the phosphors produced a blue emission peak centered at 461 nm, which is due to the transition of Tm 3+ from level 1 D 2 to 3 F 4 . Moreover, the optimal sample Ba 3 YAl 2 O 7.5 : 0.03Tm 3+ shows an anti-thermal quenching effect in which the emission intensity at 210 °C rises to 120 % of that at 30 °C , attributable to the presence of oxygen vacancy defects. The result indicates that the Ba 3 YAl 2 O 7.5 : Tm 3+ with excellent thermal stability is a promising blue phosphor for lighting and display fields.