Abstract
A spectroscopic characterization of Er3+-doped SrAl2O4 phosphor materials synthesized by a solid-state reaction method with Er concentrations varying from 0.1 to 1 mol% has been performed by studying photoluminescence (PL) in the temperature range 10 to 360 K and absorption spectra. PL signals containing five emission bands at 1492, 1529, 1541, 1558, and 1600 nm, respectively, have been observed at room temperature for Er3+ transitions in the near infrared region. The samples exhibit a main luminescence peak at 1.54 mu m, which is assigned to recombination via an intra-4f Er3+ transition. Sharp bands centered at around 378, 488, 521, 651, 980, 1492, and 1538 nm in the absorption spectra can be associated with transitions from I-4(15/2) level to H-2(9/2), F-4(7/2), H-2(11/2), F-4(9/2), I-4(11/2), H-2(11/2), and I-4(13/2) levels, respectively. The sharp emission peaks and excellent luminescence properties show that SrAl2O4 is a suitable host for rare-earth-doped phosphors, which may be suitable for optical applications.