Structure, photoluminescent and cathodoluminescent properties of a rare-earth free red emitting β-Zn3B2O6:Mn2+ phosphor

Abstract

A rare-earth free red emitting β-Zn₃B₂O₆:Mn²⁺ phosphor was prepared by a solid-state reaction method. The crystal structure, photoluminescent and cathodoluminescent properties of β-Zn₃B₂O₆:Mn²⁺ were systematically investigated. The absorption and photoluminescence excitation spectra confirm that β-Zn₃B₂O₆:Mn²⁺ matches the UV LED chip. Under UV light and low-voltage electron beam excitations, an interesting orange-red emission band centered at ∼600 nm of Mn²⁺ at the tetrahedral Zn²⁺ sites is observed. Besides, the unusual red shift with increasing Mn²⁺ content is also found and contributed to an exchange interaction between Mn²⁺. In addition, under low-voltage excitation, β-Zn₃B₂O₆:Mn²⁺ exhibits higher color purity of 98.1% than that of the commercial ZnS:Ag,Cd yellow phosphor and reported ZnGeN₂:Mn²⁺ orange phosphor, which indicated the β-Zn₃B₂O₆:Mn²⁺ has a patenting application in FEDs.