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Luminescent Phosphors: History
Please note this is an old version of this entry, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Subjects: Crystallography
Contributor: Eng Editorial Office

Luminescent phosphors are photoluminescent materials, typically crystalline inorganic hosts doped with activator ions, that absorb energy and re-emit it as light, usually in the visible spectral range, through radiative transitions within localized luminescence centers [1]. The host lattice provides the structural and electronic framework, while small concentrations of activator ions—such as rare-earth or transition-metal ions—introduce discrete energy levels within the band gap that capture excitation energy and relax radiatively by emitting a photon of characteristic wavelength; co-dopants may act as sensitizers that transfer absorbed energy to the emitting center [2]. A phosphor is distinguished from a generic luminescent material by its deliberate engineering of activator and sensitizer centers in a stable crystalline host to produce efficient, color-controlled light emission, and its behavior is governed by the energy-level structure of the luminescence centers and by energy transfer between them rather than by band-to-band recombination [1]. The emission color and efficiency depend on the choice of host and activator, the concentration of the luminescence centers, and non-radiative loss pathways, so that the material is defined by its ability to convert excitation into narrow-band visible light through these impurity-induced centers [2]. Its defining feature is controlled light emission via dopant luminescence centers in a crystalline host [3].

  • photoluminescence
  • activator ion
  • host lattice
  • light emission

Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials •  Materials Chemistry •  Materials Science •  Physical Sciences

References

  1. G. Blasse; B. C. Grabmaier. Luminescent Materials; Springer Nature: Durham, NC, United States, 1994. [CrossRef]
  2. Shionoya, S.; Yen, W.M.; Yamamoto, H. Phosphor Handbook; Taylor & Francis: London, United Kingdom, 2018. [CrossRef]
  3. Curie, D. Luminescence in Crystals; Methuen: London, UK, 1960. ISBN: 978-1013516139.
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