White luminescence of bismuth and samarium codoped Y2O3 phosphors

In this work Sm3+ (0-2.0 at%) and Bi3+ (0-2.0 at%) doped Y2O3 luminescent powders were prepared by a sol-gel method from yttrium acetylacetonate, samarium and bismuth nitrates as metal sources. The as prepared powders (chemical composition is close to stoichiometric Y2O3) present the cubic structure from 700 °C, and at 900 °C are characterized by the presence of rounded particles with heterogeneous size of 42.9 nm. Luminescent effect of ions of Sm3+ and Bi3+ into Y2O3 host as was studied on heat treated powders from 800 to 1100 °C. The combination of the red luminescence from the Sm3+ ions and the bluish from Bi3+, makes the synthesized phosphors candidates to be used in fabrication of phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (LEDs).