Enhanced Quantum Cutting via Li+ Doping from a Bi3+/Yb3+-Codoped Gadolinium Tungstate Phosphor

Abstract

The Bi3+/Yb3+-codoped gadolinium tungstate phosphor has been synthesized through a solid-state reaction method. The structural characterization reveals the crystalline nature of the phosphor. The Bi3+-doped phosphor emits visible radiation from the blue to red regions upon excitation with 330 and 355 nm. The addition of Yb3+ to the Bi3+-doped phosphor reduces the emission intensity in the visible region and emits an intense near-infrared (NIR) photon centered at 976 nm through a quantum-cutting (QC) phenomenon. This is due to cooperative energy transfer (CET) from the 3P1 level of Bi3+ to the 2F5/2 level of Yb3+. The presence of Li+ ions in the Bi3+/Yb3+-codoped phosphor enhances the emission intensity in the NIR region up to by 3 times, whereas the emission intensity in the visible region is significantly reduced. The energy transfer (ET) from the Bi3+ ions to the Yb3+ ions is confirmed by lifetime measurements, and the lifetime for the 3P1 level of Bi3+ decreases continuously with increasing Yb3+ concentration. The ET efficiency (ηETE) and corresponding QC efficiency (ηQE) are calculated and found to be 29% and 129%, respectively. The presence of Li+ enhances the QC efficiency of the phosphor up to 43%. Thus, the Bi3+/Yb3+/Li+-codoped phosphor is a promising candidate to enhance the efficiency of a crystalline-silicon-based solar cell through spectral conversion.