Unusual full-colour phosphors:: Na3LnSi3O9

Unusual full-colour phosphors, in the system Na(3)LnSi(3)O(9), have been prepared and their structure and photoluminescence properties characterized. Na-3(Y(1-a)Ln(a))Si3O9 (Ln = Eu, Tb, Tm) materials are primary emitters, with chromaticity colour coordinates comparable or better than properties of the standard phosphors recommended by EBU for display devices, resulting from the emission of red (Eu3+), green (Tb3+) and blue (Tm3+) light. The judicious choice and simultaneous incorporation of three different Ln(3+) ions in the Na(3)LnSi(3)O(9) lattice results in the integration of red, green and blue emissions in Na3Y0.915Tm0.02Tb0.04Eu0.025Si3O9, affording a full-colour phosphor with (x, y) CIE colour coordinates (0.324, 0.364) comparable to the properties of the CIE Illuminant D65, a standard for the EBU primary system colours. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.