Influence of Er3+/Yb3+ Concentration Ratio on the Down-conversion and Up-conversion Luminescence and Lifetime in GdVO4:Er3+/Yb3+ Microcrystals

In this paper, we studied the effects of Er3+/Yb3+ concentration ratio on structural, morphological and luminescence properties of GdVO4:Er3+/Yb3+ green phosphors prepared by a high-temperature solid state method. The samples with different concentrations (between 0.5 to 2 mol%) of dopant Er3+ emitting ions and different concentrations (between 5 to 20 mol%) of sensitizer ions (Yb3+) were studied. The phosphors were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. For all samples, XRD diffraction patterns confirmed a formation of a pure GdVO4 phase, while the SEM showed that the materials are comprised of chunks of deformed particles with an average diameter ranging from approximately 2 mu m to 8 mu m. Both, down-conversion and up-conversion emission spectra of GdVO4: Er3+/Yb3+ samples, under near UV and IR excitations, exhibit two strong emission bands in the green spectral region at 525 nm and 552 nm wavelengths corresponding to H-2(11/2) -> I-4(15/2) and S-4(3/2) -> I-4(15/2) electronic transitions of Er3+ ions. The intensity of the green emission was changed by changing the Er3+/Yb3+ concentration ratio. This dual-mode luminescence makes these materials ideal as green phosphors for a wide variety of applications in the fields of bioanalysis and biomedical.