Effect of yttrium on PL efficiency of LaPO4:Ce, Tb phosphor

LaPO4:Ce, Tb is a well known green emitting phosphor for fluorescent lamps and plasma display panels because of its strong green emission near 545 nm. Strong absorption of energy at 254 nm by Ce3+ with subsequent transfer of energy to Tb3+, resulting in intense green emission makes it suitable for fluorescent lamps. In the present work we have synthesized this phosphor by simple sol-gel method using excess citric acid to facilitate combustion.The PL efficiency of this phosphor is comparable to that of commercially available sample. The formation of the compound was confirmed by XRD. Further, we have studied the effect single and dual host compositional (La,Y)PO4 effects on the PL spectra of Tb3+ and found improvement in PL efficiency with partial replacement of La by Y. (author)