Spectral Properties and Energy Transfer between Ce 3+ and Yb 3+ in the Ca 3 Sc 2 Si 3 O 12 Host: Is It an Electron Transfer Mechanism?

The downshifting from Ce(3+) blue emission to Yb(3+) near-infrared emission has been studied in the garnet host Ca2.8-2xCe0.1YbxNa0.1+xSc2Si3O12 (x = 0-0.36). The downshifting does not involve quantum cutting, but one incident blue photon is transferred from Ce(3+) to Yb(3+) with an energy transfer efficiency up to 90% when x = 0.36 for the Yb(3+) dopant ion. For x ≤ 0.15, a multiphonon-assisted electric dipole-electric quadrupole mechanism of energy transfer dominates, while for the highest concentration of Yb(3+) employed, the electron transfer mechanism is confirmed. A temperature-dependent increase of the Ce(3+) → Yb(3+) energy transfer rate does not exclusively indicate the electron transfer mechanism. The application of the material to solar energy conversion is indicated.