Luminescence properties of LiYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ phosphors: A study on influence of synthesis temperature and dopant concentration

Yb3+ and Er3+ doped LiYF4:RE3+ (RE = Yb, Er) phosphors have been synthesized using solid state reaction of pre-converted rare earth fluorides and lithium fluoride. Structural and morphological properties of the synthesized fluoride phosphors are examined. Upconversion emission studies performed in the developed phosphors showed blue, green and red emission bands under 980 nm excitation. Effect of Yb3+ ions concentration and synthesis temperature on the upconversion emission bands has been investigated. As the synthesis temperature increased the phosphors exhibited intense upconversion luminescence. The colour co-ordinate analysis confirmed the strong green emission under upconversion process. Luminescence in synthesized phosphors have also been investigated with respect to 378 nm excitation. The prepared phosphors have shown good luminescent properties and could be a potential candidate for luminescent based device fabrications.