Luminescence properties, energy transfer and thermal stability of white emitting phosphor Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 :Ce 3+ /Tb 3+ /Mn 2+ for white LEDs.

A series of Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 :Ce 3+ /Mn 2+ /Tb 3+ phosphors were synthesized by a high temperature solid phase method. After introducing Ce 3+ as sensitizer in Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 :Ce 3+ /Mn 2+ , the efficient energy transfer from Ce 3+ to Mn 2+ was observed and analyzed in detail, and Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 :Ce 3+ /Mn 2+ was demonstrated to be color tunable, changing from blue to orange red. In addition, Tb 3+ ion, which mainly emits green light, was further added into the Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 :Ce 3+ /Mn 2+ . Due to the addition of this green emission, the white emitting phosphors with good quality were obtained. At the same time, the energy transfer mechanisms among Ce 3+ , Tb 3+ and Mn 2+ ions were also analyzed in detail. The results show that Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 :Ce 3+ /Mn 2+ /Tb 3+ is a promising candidate for white light emitting diodes.