CeF3-based glass ceramic: a potential luminescent host for white-light-emitting diode

Rare earth (RE) ion doped glass ceramics containing hexagonal CeF3 nanocrystals with a mean size of 12 nm were fabricated. Using Eu3+ as the structural probe, Stark splitting emissions and the low forced electric dipole D-5(0) -> F-7(2) transition of Eu3+ revealed the partition of RE ions into low-phonon-energy CeF3 nanocrystals. Efficient energy transfers from Ce3+ to Tb3+ or Dy3+ were found, and the energy transfer efficiency was evaluated. Under ultraviolet excitation, intense white-light emission was observed in Dy3+-doped samples owing to Dy3+ resided in CeF3 crystalline environment, indicating their potential application in white-light-emitting diodes. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America