CaLu2Mg2Si3O12:Ce3+, Cr3+, Nd3+ Phosphor-In-Glass Film for Laser-Driven Ultra-Broadband Near-Infrared Lighting with Watt-Level Output

Laser diode (LD)-pumped phosphor-converted near-infrared (NIR) lighting source predicts a "brighter" future for active imaging and non-destructive detection, with improved imaging resolution and detection accuracy to expand more application scenarios. To meet a variety of requirements for LD-pumped phosphor color converters, herein, a novel CaLu2Mg2Si3O12:Ce3+, Cr3+, Nd3+ (CLMS:Ce3+, Cr3+, Nd3+) phosphor-in-glass film (PiGF) sintered on sapphire substrate (SP) composite is fabricated. By introducing a rapid infrared firing technique, the good luminescence properties of phosphor powders are maintained in the PiGF due to the trivial thermally-aggressive effect of glass components on phosphor particles. The multiple energy transfers (ETs) among Ce3+, Cr3+, and Nd3+ enhance the NIR luminescence of Cr3+ and Nd3+, and simultaneously extend the spectral range to cover the NIR-I and NIR-II regions. The luminescent behaviors of samples are carefully examined under different laser excitation modes to gain more insights into laser-matter interaction. A watt-level output is achieved by applying appropriate thermal and optical management. A comparative study is performed on the luminescence saturation mechanism of CLMS:Ce3+, Cr3+, Nd3+ PiGF showing different contributions of thermal quenching and intensity quenching among these three ions. Finally, the application presentations confirm the great potential in the fields of long-distance night vision and high-resolution biological imaging.