Room-temperature green upconversion luminescence in LaMgAl11O19:Mn2+, Yb3+ upon infrared excitation

We present a spectroscopic study of the green upconversion luminescence of Mn2+ upon near infrared Yb3+ excitation in LaMgAl11O19 codoped with manganese and ytterbium. Excitation at 975 nm with a diode laser resonant with the F27/2→F25/2 Yb3+ transition induces a broad emission band centered at 514 nm and assigned to the T41→A61 transition of tetrahedral Mn2+. The upconversion luminescence can be seen by the naked eye up to 500 K. This finding is a promising step in order to use the Mn2+–Yb3+ system as a potential candidate for display phosphors by upconversion.