Luminescence properties of Sm3+-doped alkaline earth ortho-stannates

• M2SnO4:Sm3+ (M = Ca, Sr and Ba) phosphors were prepared by a solid-state reaction.
• Synthesized powders showed bright orange-red emission under UV excitation.
• Sm3+ ions occupy Ca and Sr sites in the Ca2SnO4 and Sr2SnO4 structures, respectively.
• The slowest decay time values were obtained for Ba2SnO4:Sm3+ phosphor.
• The substitution of Sn site occurs in the Ba2SnO4 structure.

A series of Sm3+ doped M2SnO4 (M = Ca, Sr and Ba) samples were prepared by a conventional high temperature solid-state reaction route. All samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, photoluminescence (PL), photoluminescence thermal quenching (TQ) and fluorescence lifetime (FL) measurements. The morphology of synthesized phosphor powders was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, luminous efficacies (LE) and color points of the CIE 1931 color space diagram were calculated and discussed. Synthesized powders showed bright orange-red emission under UV excitation. Based on the results obtained we demonstrate that Sm3+ ions occupy Ca and Sr sites in the Ca2SnO4 and Sr2SnO4 ortho-stannate structures, respectively. In contrast, Sm3+ substitutes Sn in the barium ortho-stannate Ba2SnO4 structure.