On the Performance Enhancement of Nitride Phosphors as Spectral Conversion Materials in Solid State Lighting

Nitride phosphors have witnessed themselves the boom period of last ten years. As a new class of spectral conversion materials in solid state lighting, they are steadily replacing sulfides and othosilicates and playing key roles in producing white light-emitting diodes (wLEDs) with high color rendering, tunable color temperatures and high luminous efficiency. The optical quality and reliability of phosphor-converted wLEDs depend exclusively on the performance of phosphors used, so that the performance enhancement of nitride phosphors, which determines their real applicability, must be on the agenda. This article initiates the discussion on the improvement/modification of photoluminescence intensity, emission spectra, quantum efficiency, and thermal quenching/degradation of nitride phosphors. The effects of compositional tailoring (including the doping level, cationic and anionic substitutions), co-doping and post-treatment on the phosphor performance are overviewed. Finally, to make the strategies for the performance enhancement more effective, strengthening the structural analysis is suggested. (C) 2012 The Electrochemical Society.