Abnormal anti-quenching and controllable multi-transitions of Bi3+ luminescence by temperature in a yellow-emitting LuVO4 :Bi3+ phosphor for UV-converted white LEDs

Phosphors with an efficient yellow-emitting color play a crucial role in phosphor-converted white LEDs (pc-WLEDs), but popular yellow phosphors such as YAG:Ce or Eu(2+) -doped (oxy)nitrides cannot smoothly meet this seemingly simple requirement due to their strong absorptions in the visible range. Herein, we report a novel yellow-emitting LuVO(4) :Bi(3+) phosphor that can solve this shortcoming. The emission from LuVO(4) :Bi(3+) shows a peak at 576 nm with a quantum efficiency (QE) of up to 68 %, good resistance to thermal quenching (T(50 %) =573 K), and no severe thermal degradation after heating-cooling cycles upon UV excitation. The yellow emission, as verified by X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), originates from the ((3)P(0),(3)P(1))→(1) S0 transitions of Bi(3+). Increasing the temperature from 10 to 300 K produces a temperature-dependent energy-transfer process between VO(4)(3-) groups and Bi(3+), and further heating of the samples to 573 K intensifies the emission. However, it subsequently weakens, accompanied by blueshifts of the emission peaks. This abnormal anti-thermal quenching can be ascribed to temperature-dependent energy transfer from VO(4)(3-) groups to Bi(3+), a population redistribution between the excited states of (3)P(0) and (3)P(1) upon thermal stimulation, and discharge of electrons trapped in defects with a trap depth of 359 K. Device fabrication with the as-prepared phosphor LuVO(4) :Bi(3+) has proved that it can act as a good yellow phosphor for pc-WLEDs.