Blue LED-pumped intense short-wave infrared luminescence based on Cr3+-Yb3+-co-doped phosphors

The growing demand for spectroscopy applications in the areas of agriculture, retail and healthcare has led to extensive research on infrared light sources. The ability of phosphors to absorb blue light from commercial LED and convert the excitation energy into long-wavelength infrared luminescence is crucial for the design of cost-effective and high-performance phosphor-converted infrared LEDs. However, the lack of ideal blue-pumped short-wave infrared (SWIR) phosphors with an emission peak longer than 900 nm greatly limits the development of SWIR LEDs using light converter technology. Here we have developed a series of SWIR-emitting materials with high luminescence efficiency and excellent thermal stability by co-doping Cr3+-Yb3+ ion pairs into Lu0.2Sc0.8BO3 host materials. Benefitting from strong light absorption of Cr3+ in the blue waveband and very efficient Cr3+-> Yb3+ energy transfer, the assynthesized Lu0.2Sc0.8BO3:Cr3+,Yb3+ phosphor emits intense SWIR light in the 900-1200 nm from Yb3+ under excitation with blue light at similar to 460 nm. The optimized phosphor presents an internal quantum yield of 73.6% and the SWIR luminescence intensity at 100 degrees C can still keep 88.4% of the starting value at 25 degrees C. SWIR LED prototype device based on Lu0.2Sc0.8BO3:Cr3+,Yb3 phosphor exhibits exceptional luminescence performance, delivering SWIR radiant power of 18.4 mW with 9.3% of blue-to-SWIR power conversion efficiency and 5.0% of electricity-to-SWIR light energy conversion efficiency at 120 mA driving current. Moreover, under the illumination of high-power SWIR LED, covert information identification and night vision lighting have been realized, demonstrating a very bright prospect for practical applications.

Automated summary

Extensive research on infrared light sources is being conducted due to the growing demand for spectroscopy applications in agriculture, retail, and healthcare. The development of ideal blue-pumped short-wave infrared (SWIR) phosphors is crucial for the design of cost-effective and high-performance phosphor-converted infrared LEDs. In this study, we have developed a series of SWIR-emitting materials with high efficiency and stability by co-doping Cr3+-Yb3+ ion pairs into Lu0.2Sc0.8BO3 host materials. The resulting Lu0.2Sc0.8BO3:Cr3+,Yb3+ phosphor emits intense SWIR light in the 900-1200 nm range under blue light excitation and shows promising potential for practical applications.