Ultrawide-band near-infrared light source over 1 mW by Sm3+,Pr3+-codoped glass phosphor combined with LED

We have synthesized 0.3Sm(2)O(3)-0.12Pr(2)O(3)-10Bi(2)O(3)-45Sb(2)O(3)-45B(2)O(3) glass as an ultrawide-band near-infrared phosphor for LED-based light sources. We have achieved an ultrawide-band luminescence from 760 to 1100 nm with an output power of over 1 mW by combining a blue LED with Sm3+,Pr3+-codoped borate glass in one package. Absorption bands corresponding to C-H and O-H stretchings in aqueous solutions of glucose have been observed using this light source and a multichannel spectrometer. These results indicate that the Sm3+,Pr3(+)-codoped borate glass combined with the blue LED is a useful novel light source for absorption spectrometry. (C) 2014 The Japan Society of Applied Physics