Spectroscopic properties and thermally stable orange-red luminescence of Sm:Zr:LiNbO3 and Sm:Hf:LiNbO3 for white LED applications

LiNbO3 crystals activated by Sm3+ and co-doped with Zr4+ (Sm:Zr:LN) or Hf4+ (Sm:Hf:LN) were prepared by the Czochralski method. Detailed investigation on spectroscopic properties was conducted on the frame of JuddOfelt (J-O) theory. The J-O intensity parameters Omega(i) (i = 2, 4, 6), fluorescence branching ratios and radiative lifetime of excited level (4)G(5/2) were determined. Furthermore, the thermal stability of the strong orange-red emissions obtained under near-UV excitation in both crystals was evaluated. As high as 100% and 97% of integrated intensities at room temperature in Sm:Zr:LN and Sm:Hf:LN respectively were retained at 423 K, demonstrating the suppressed thermal attenuation. The temperature sensing performance based on fluorescence intensity ratio strategy was degraded at higher temperatures with relatively low sensitivities, while the shift of CIE chromaticity coordinates of Sm:Zr:LN and Sm:Hf:LN in the orange-red region was insignificant, demonstrating the color constancy with increasing temperature. With the efficient and thermally stable orange-red luminescence, Sm:Zr:LN and Sm:Hf:LN could serve as promising candidate materials for near-UV excited white light-emitting diodes.