Editors' Choice—Thermal Quenching Analyses of Eu 2+ -Activated Sr-Containing Sialon Phosphors Using the Thermally Activated Cross-Over Model

Abstract

To investigate the relation between the luminescence properties and the crystal structure, the thermal quenching of three kinds of Eu2+-activated Sr-containing sialon phosphors are analyzed using the Struck-Fonger model. The inherent frequency of the host lattice ħω is calculated from the measured internal quantum efficiency at various temperatures, and the results confirm that the inherent frequency of the host lattice ħω dominates the thermal quenching of these phosphors. Moreover, clarification of the relationship between the inherent frequency of the host lattice ħω and the host crystal structure reveals that the covalence and density of the host crystal structure mainly influence the inherent frequency and therefore influence the extent of the thermal quenching.