Broadband near-infrared emission of K3ScF6:Cr3+ phosphors for night vision imaging system sources

Broadband near-infrared light (NIR) near 800 nm has broad application prospects in food detection and night vision monitoring. Compared with NIR chips, NIR phosphors have distinct advantages, including low cost, a mature synthesis process, and tunable combination. However, at present, oxide NIR phosphors have some disadvantages, such as a narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM), poor thermal stability, and low photoelectric efficiency. Herein, K3ScF6:Cr3+ NIR phosphors with a cubic structure were synthesized using the hydrothermal method. These phosphors can be effectively excited by blue light (430 nm) and red light (630 nm), leading to a broadband Cr3+ emission from 650 nm to 950 nm with a large FWHM of 430 nm. They also exhibit excellent thermal stability and retain 87.3% of their initial intensity at 150 degrees C. Under a driving current of 100 mA, their photoelectric efficiency can reach 9.315% of that of fabricated NIR light-emitting diodes (NIR-LED). An NIR-LED device based on this phosphor can thus be implemented in night vision imaging systems.

Automated summary

K3ScF6:Cr3+ NIR phosphors with a cubic structure have broad application prospects, can be excited by blue and red light, exhibit broadband emission spectrum, excellent thermal stability, and high photoelectric efficiency, making them suitable for night vision imaging systems.