Energy-Efficient, High-Color-Rendering LED Lamps Using Oxyfluoride and Fluoride Phosphors

LED lamps using phosphor downconversion can be designed to replace incandescent or halogen sources with a “warm-white” correlated color temperature (CCT) of 2700−3200 K and a color rendering index (CRI) greater than 90. However, these lamps have efficacies of ∼70% of standard “cool-white” LED packages (CCT = 4500−6000 K; CRI = 75−80). In this report, we describe structural and luminescence properties of fluoride and oxyfluoride phosphors, specifically a (Sr,Ca) 3 (Al,Si)O 4 (F,O):Ce 3+ yellow-green phosphor and a K 2 TiF 6:Mn 4+ red phosphor, that can reduce this gap and therefore meet the spectral and efficiency requirements for high-efficacy LED lighting. LED lamps with a warm-white color temperature (3088 K), high CRI (90), and an efficacy of ∼82 lm/W are demonstrated using these phosphors. This efficacy is ∼85% of comparable cool-white lamps using typical Y 3 Al 5 O 12:Ce 3+ -based phosphors, significantly reducing the efficacy gap between warm-white and cool-white LED lamps that use phosphor downconversion.