Luminescence properties of SrSi2AlO2N3 doped with divalent rare-earth ions

The optical properties of SrSi2AlO2N3 doped with Eu2+ and Yb2+ are investigated towards their applicability in LEDs. The Eu2+-doped material shows emission in the green, peaking around 500 nm. The emission is ascribed to the 4f65d1-4f7 transition on Eu2+. In view of the too low quantum efficiency and the considerable thermal quenching of the emission at the operation temperature of high power LED (>1W/mm2) this phosphor is only suitable for application in low power LEDs. The Yb2+ emission shows an anomalously red-shifted emission compared to Eu2+, which is characterized by a larger FWHM, a larger Stokes shift and lower thermal quenching temperature. The emission is ascribed to self-trapped exciton emission. The Yb2+ activated phosphor is found to be unsuitable for the use in any phosphor-converted LEDs.