Luminescence of Ca3ZrSi2O9: Ce3+ blue phosphor with good thermal stability

Novel Ce3+-activated Ca3ZrSi2O9 silicate phosphors were firstly prepared by solid state reaction. The Ca3ZrSi2O9: Ce3+ phosphor shows narrow blue emission with color purity of 90% and internal efficiency of 37% upon excitation at 360 nm. The maximal luminescence intensity was observed at optimal Ce3+ concentration of 0.02. Additionally, the thermal stability of Ca3ZrSi2O9: Ce3+ were investigated in the temperature range of 20–200 °C, which keeps 70% of initial intensity at 200 °C. The results indicate that Ca3ZrSi2O9: Ce3+ can be utilized as a potential blue phosphor in UV LED devices.