Single-phased white-light-emitting NaCaBO3:Ce3+,Tb3+,Mn2+ phosphors for LED applications

A series of NaCaBO3:Ce(3+),Tb(3+),Mn(2+) borate phosphors were prepared via a high-temperature solid-state reaction. The obtained phosphors exhibit a strong excitation band between 250 and 400 nm, matching well with the dominant emission band of a NUV light-emitting-diode (LED) chip. The phosphors can generate light from blue to green, and from blue to red by Ce(3+)→Tb(3+) and Ce(3+)→Mn(2+), respectively. Furthermore, a wide-range-tunable white light emission was obtained by precisely controlling the contents of Ce(3+), Mn(2+), Tb(3+). The results show that this phosphor has potential applications as a single-phased phosphor for NUV white LEDs.