Fluorescence properties of SrAl12O19:Pr3+ quantum cutting phosphor

A phosphor, SrAl12O19 doped with Pr (SA:Pr), is investigated in this research in order to improve the luminous efficacy of a mercury-free Xe discharge fluorescent lamp (FL). The obtained sample works as a quantum cutting phosphor which converts an absorbed photon of Xe emission at 172 nm into two visible photons, one at 401.8 nm and the other at 486.3, 526.3, 623.7 or 644.6 nm. The concentration of Pr is optimized and the visible emission of the phosphor becomes maximum at 5 mol%. The photoluminescence measurements show that the relative quantum efficiency of SA:Pr (Pr: 5 mol%) is 38.4% of BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+ (BAM:Eu). The luminance of a Xe dielectric-barrier-discharge (DBD) FL coated with SA:Pr (Pr: 5 mol%) achieves 28.8% of the same lamp with BAM:Eu. The CIE colour coordinate of the SA:Pr (Pr: 5 mol%) excited by the Xe-DBD lamp is x = 0.307 and y = 0.292. The SA:Pr phosphor has an excitation band peaking at 468 nm corresponding to the 1I6 state and a low intensity excitation band lying from 250 to 420 nm. The latter is attributed to the self-trapped exciton (STE) band. This STE band causes an energy path due to non-radiative transition from 1S0 to 3P0 in the excitation at 172 nm. The former excitation band around 468 nm coincides with an ordinary blue LED's emission. When the phosphor is excited at this wavelength, the emission spectra are observed at 486.3, 526.3, 623.7 and 644.6 nm. Therefore, the SA:Pr may alternatively be useful for white LEDs excited by blue light.