Preparation and luminescence of Ce: YAG transparent glass ceramics by liquid-phase sintering

A Ce:YAG transparent glass ceramic was prepared by liquid-phase sintering of a mixture of YAG-Al2O3-PbO-PbF2-B2O3 precursor glass with Ce:YAG nanocrystals. The microstructure, luminescence spectra and lifetime behaviors of the sample was investigated. The size of the YAG crystals inside the GC reached ∼20 µm. The average in-line transmittance (2-mm thick) of the GC was more than 56% in the visible region. The GC exhibited a broad yellow emission band, long lifetime (τ = 1.69 µs), good transparency, and low sintering temperature, implying that the composite is a promising candidate for high-power white light emitting diodes (WLEDs).