Luminescence properties and energy transfer in AlN:Ce3+,Tb3+ phosphors

• Energy-transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ in AlN phosphors is first studied.
• The presence of the Ce3+ increase the emission of the Tb3+.
• The maximum value of energy-transfer efficiency was calculated as 97.4%.
• Energy-transfer is predominantly governed by a dipole–dipole interaction mechanism.

Novel green-emitting AlN:Ce3+,Tb3+ phosphors were successfully synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. Single doped AlN:Ce3+ and AlN:Tb3+ phosphors could be effectively excited by ultraviolet lights and showed intense blue and green emissions, respectively. The incorporation of Ce3+ could drastically enhance the luminescence of AlN:Tb3+ powder by energy transfer. The effects of Ce3+ and Tb3+ concentrations on luminance in single and co-doped phosphors have also been studied. Analysis of the emission and excitation spectra, in conjunction with the curves of decay times, suggested that the effective energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ is mainly due to a dipole–dipole interaction in the AlN:Ce3+,Tb3+ phosphors.

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