Measuring the absolute quantum efficiency of luminescent materials

A measurement system and mathematical procedure are developed for determining the absolute quantum efficiency (QE), of luminescent materials. This technique, based on absorption of diffuse light within an integrating sphere, is applied to fluorescent laser dyes and conventional phosphor powders. The system described is tested for excitation in the near-UV and blue regions, but can be applied to higher energy excitation (UV), as well as lower energy excitation in the visible to near-IR, with the appropriate photodetectors and optical filters. The system was tested on both liquid and solid samples such as Coumarin 500 (CM500) dye in methanol and ethyl acetate; Rhodamine 6G in ethanol; and a variety of powder phosphors. The QE of quinine sulfate dihydrate solution (5×10−3 M in 0.1 N H2SO4), a NIST fluorescence standard, was found to be in good agreement with the NIST value under 390 nm excitation. The accuracy of this measurement technique is acceptable for samples with absorption cross sections greater than ∼6 mm2.