Realization of Broadband Near-Infrared Emission with High Thermal Stability in YGa<sub>3</sub>(BO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>4</sub>: Cr<sup>3+</sup> Borate Phosphor
Yanfei Zou, Chen Hu, Shoukun Lv, Y. Shao, Bing Teng, Fei You, Hui Xu, Degao Zhong
Abstract
As a key material for phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) applications, broadband near-infrared (NIR) phosphors currently face poor thermal stability issues. In this work, we synthesized a broadband near-infrared phosphor YGa 3 (BO 3 ) 4: Cr 3+ (YGBO: Cr 3+ ) with a high thermal stability. The YGBO: Cr 3+ sample exhibits a broadband near-infrared emission centered at 770 nm with a full width at half-maximum (fwhm) of 2130 cm –1 under blue light excitation. Benefiting from the borate host crystal’s strong structural rigidity, wide optical band gap, and weak electron–phonon coupling strength, YGBO: Cr 3+ demonstrates strong luminescence thermal stability, and the corresponding luminescence intensity can maintain 80% at 150 °C compared to room temperature. Furthermore, we fabricated a pc-LED device using a blue light chip and YGBO: Cr 3+ phosphor, and confirmed its application potential as a near-infrared light source in the spectral analysis of fruit freshness.