Temperature dependence of Ce:YAG single-crystal phosphors for high-brightness white LEDs/LDs

The growth of Ce:Y₃Al₅O₁₂(Ce:YAG) single-crystal phosphors (SCPs) by the Czochralski technique is analyzed in terms of segregation coefficient, solubility and absorption cross-section. The emission characteristics of these SCPs are investigated in a wide temperature range, from liquid He temperature up to 500 °C. The internal quantum efficiency of SCPs achieves its maximum at about 250 °C. Thermal quenching of SCPs at high temperature is attributed to the Mott–Seitz mechanism. In the case of ceramic powder phosphors, a continuous droop is observed with the temperature due to defect-related non-radiative recombination paths. It is shown that (Ce:YAG SCPs + blue LEDs/LDs) can cover a wide range of color temperatures 5500–7000 K, with color rendering indices around 70. In conclusion, it is shown that Ce:YAG SCPs are the most efficient and temperature stable converters to fabricate high-brightness white light sources with high-power blue LEDs and LDs. (paper)