Improved Photoluminescence of Sr[sub 5](PO[sub 4])[sub 3]Cl:Eu[sup 2+] Phosphor Particles Prepared by Flame Spray Pyrolysis

Abstract

Flame spray pyrolysis has been utilized in order to improve the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of blue-emitting phosphor particles for light emitting diode applications. When phosphor particles were prepared by conventional spray pyrolysis, the PL intensity was much lower than that of commercial phosphor particles. However, phosphor particles prepared by the flame spray pyrolysis showed a high PL intensity compared with the commercial one. The morphology and the crystallinity of phosphor particles are strongly affected by the flame condition and the post-treatment environment. particles prepared by flame spray pyrolysis were of smaller size than commercial ones, although their spherical morphology was not maintained after the post-treatment at 1000°C with flux. The addition of flux during post-treatment greatly enhances the PL intensity of prepared phosphor particles due to increased crystallinity. It was found that the phosphor particles with larger crystallite size have higher PL intensity regardless of the method of preparation. © 2003 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.