Red-emitting (Y0.5Gd0.5)0.94−xAlxEu0.06VO4 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.04) phosphors for plasma display panel applications

We synthesized high-quality (Y0.5Gd0.5)0.94−xAlxEu0.06VO4 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.04) red phosphors by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. The annealed (Y0.5Gd0.5)0.94−xAlxEu0.06VO4 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.04) was solid solutions of the constituent oxides, which had a tetragonal zircon type structure. The incorporation of a small amount of Al to (Y0.5Gd0.5)0.94−xAlxEu0.06VO4 up to x = 0.02 significantly enhanced the emission intensity. The (Y0.5Gd0.5)0.92Al0.02Eu0.06VO4 phosphor annealed at 1150 °C emitted the strongest and purest red color. In addition, enhanced photoluminescence properties of (Y0.5Gd0.5)0.94−xAlxEu0.06VO4 red phosphors were obtained over a wide range of annealing temperature (1100-1150 °C), thereby allowing greater flexibility for the choice of their annealing temperature. We demonstrate that the (Y0.5Gd0.5)0.94−xAlxEu0.06VO4 could be a novel red phosphor for PDP applications.