CaTiO3:Eu3+, a potential red long lasting phosphor: Energy migration and characterization of trap level distribution

This paper comprises a promising approach for the development of a red-light emitting CaTiO3:Eu3+ long-lasting phosphor. Eu3+ doped CaTiO3 phosphors were prepared by the solid state reaction method at 1000 degrees C. Red long-afterglow (LAG) originated from the f-f transitions of Eu3+ in the CaTiO3 and lasted for several minutes. Defect trap depth values from 0.62 up to 1.21 eV were obtained from thermoluminescence (TL) data. These defects were created due to charge compensation. These traps were responsible for the afterglow emission at room temperature. The decay curves and TL glow curves showed that the density of the traps with suitable depth has been significantly changed with an increase in dopant concentration. The depth and density of the traps can affect the LAG performance. The possible mechanism behind the LAG of Eu3+ in CaTiO3 was explained in detail on the basis of the trap distribution. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.