Thermal stability of nitride phosphors for light-emitting diodes

Abstract

Nitride phosphors are essential and superior optical materials for the production of white-light-emitting diodes in lighting and display applications. Thermal stability is one of the core indexes to evaluate the application performance of phosphors. With the rapid development of high-power lighting, laser lighting and other advanced fields, as well as higher requirements for the properties of optical materials, improving the thermal stability of nitride phosphor materials has become an important material challenge. Here, we summarize three types of common thermal phenomena and their mechanisms, including thermal quenching, thermal degradation and abnormal thermal behavior. Through analyzing the relationship between the crystal structure and thermal behavior of nitride phosphors, feasible strategies, such as compositional tailoring, thermal post-treatment and surface coating, are formulated and applied to enhance the thermal stability of nitride phosphors. Finally, options for the improvement of luminescence performance are highlighted, which will provide guidance for the development and modification of nitride phosphors and even other optical materials.