Luminescent properties of near UV excitable Ba2ZnS3 : Mn red emitting phosphor blend for white LED and display applications

A bright red colour emitting Mn doped Ba 2 ZnS 3 phosphor was prepared by an ecologically acceptable carbothermal reduction method without an inert gas or hazardous gas (H 2 S) environment. The phosphor can be excited with UV wavelength radiation to realize emission in the visible range. X-ray diffraction studies confirm an orthorhombic structure with phase group, pnam. The photoluminescence (PL) emission spectrum shows a broad band with emission maximum at 625 nm under the host excitation of 358 nm, which lies in the near UV region. The concentration of Mn was varied from 0.0025 to 0.20 mole with respect to Zn and the optimum PL emission intensity was obtained at the concentration of 0.01 mole of Mn. The CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) colour coordinates measurement ( x = 0.654 and y = 0.321) shows that the primary emission is in the red region. The triband phosphors blend containing Sr 5 (PO 4 ) 3 Cl : Eu 2+ (blue), ZnS : Cu,Al (green) and Ba 2 ZnS 3 : Mn (red) shows white light emission under 365 nm excitation having CIE chromaticity ( x = 0.292 and y = 0.251). Since phosphor excitation lies in the near UV excitable region, giving a bright red emission, it can be used for applications in near UV phosphor converted white LED lighting and display devices.