Sensitizing visible and near-infrared lanthanide (Ln 3+ = Er 3+ /Ho 3+ ) luminescence within a semiconductor Sr 2 CeO 4 host

The solid-state technique was used to effectively introduce trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln 3+ = Er 3+ /Ho 3+ ) into a semiconductor host material, Sr 2 CeO 4 . These lanthanide ions serve as excellent sensitizers in the near-ultraviolet (n-UV) range for Er 3+ /Ho 3+ ions, leading to impressive emissions in the visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) spectra. Subsequently, the phase formation and luminescent performance of this host sensitized VIS as well as NIR emitting phosphor are discussed in detail. Rietveld refinement analysis were performed in order to study the phase purity of the prepared Sr 2 CeO 4 phosphor. Efficient energy transfer from the host is evident by a sharp decrease in the blue emission from Ce 4+ with increasing Er 3+ /Ho 3+ concentration. An additional support for energy transfer is that photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra of VIS and NIR luminescence from Er 3+ /Ho 3+ are identical to those of broadband 472 nm emission from Ce 4+ . The excellent luminescence properties of Er 3+ /Ho 3+ doped Sr 2 CeO 4 phosphor’s host sensitized VIS and NIR emission suggests its prospective application in modern lasers and photonic technology.