Shunsuke Fujita

Luminescence Characteristics of YAG Glass–Ceramic Phosphor for White LED

Luminescence characteristics of Ce:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG) glass-ceramic (GC) phosphor for a white LED were investigated. The GC phosphor was obtained by a heat treatment of a Ce-doped SiO₂-Al₂ O₃-Y₂O₃ mother glass between 1300degC and 1500degC for the prescribed time period. The quantum efficiency (QE) of Ce³⁺ fluorescence in the GC materials, the color coordinate, and the luminous flux of electroluminescence of LED composite were evaluated with a blue LED (465 nm) set in an integrating sphere. The QE increased with increasing ceramming temperature of the as-made glass. The color coordinates (<i>x</i>, <i>y</i>) of the composite were increased with increasing thickness of the GC mounted on a blue LED chip. The effect of Gd₂O₃ substitution on the optical properties of the GC materials was also investigated. The excitation and emission wavelengths shifted to longer side up to Gd/(Y + Gd) = 0.40 in molar composition. As a result, the color coordinate of the LED with GdYAG-GC of various thickness shifted to closer to the Planckian locus for the blackbody radiation. These results were explained by partial substitution of Gd³⁺ ions in the precipitated YAG microcrystals, leading to the increase of lattice constant of unit cell, which was confirmed by XRD.

YAG glass-ceramic phosphor for white LED (I): background and development

We have developed a Ce:YAG (Y3Al5O12) glass-ceramic phosphor for the white LED. The glass-ceramic phosphor was obtained by a heat treatment of a Ce-doped SiO2-Al2O3-Y2O3 mother glass between 1200°C and 1500°C for the prescribed time of period. We confirmed that, by XRD measurements, only YAG crystal precipitated in the mother glass after the heat treatment. It was shown from SEM observation that the YAG crystals with a grain size of approximately 20μm were uniformly dispersed in the glass matrix. The yellow emission, around 540nm in wavelength, was observed from the glass-ceramic phosphor, when it was excited by a blue LED (465nm). The white light due to the mix of yellow and blue light was observed from the glass-ceramic plate with a thickness of 0.5mm. The YAG glass-ceramic phosphor showed a high-temperature resistance and a good performance in a damp heat test. Moreover, a higher thermal conductivity of 2.18 Wm-1K-1 and bending strength of 125MPa were observed compared with a conventional soda-lime glass or an epoxy resin. In addition, since the YAG glass-ceramic phosphor can be formed in a plate-like shape, there is no need to be sealed in resins for the fabrication of the LED devices. Therefore, it is expected that this newly developed glass-ceramic phosphor is a promising candidate for the realization of resin-free, high-temperature and high-humidity resistant, long-life white LED devices.

YAG glass-ceramic phosphor for white LED (II): luminescence characteristics

Optical properties of the Ce:YAG glass-ceramic (GC) phosphor for the white LED were investigated. Concentration dependence of fluorescence intensity of Ce3+:5d→4f transition in the GC showed a maximum at 0.5mol%Ce2O3. Quantum efficiency (QE) of Ce3+ fluorescence in the GC materials, the color coordinate and luminous flux of electroluminescence of LED composite were evaluated with an integrating sphere. QE increased with increasing ceramming temperature of the as-made glass. The color coordinates (x,y) of the composite were increased with increasing thickness of the GC mounted on a blue LED chip. The effect of Gd2O3 substitution on the optical properties of the GC materials was also investigated. The excitation and emission wavelength shifted to longer side up to Gd/(Y+Gd)=0.40 in molar composition. As a result, the color coordinate locus of the LED with various thickness of the GdYAG-GC shifted to closer to the Planckian locus for the blackbody radiation. These results were explained by partial substitution of Gd3+ ions in the precipitated YAG micro-crystals, leading to the increase of lattice constant of unit cell, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction.

Thermal Quenching of Ce3+:Y3Al5O12 Glass-Ceramic Phosphor

The thermal quenching of fluorescence of Ce:Y3Al5O12 glass-ceramic (YAG-GC) phosphor was evaluated and compared with those of Ce:Y3Al5O12 polycrystal (YAG-PC) and Ce:(Gd,Y)3Al5O12 glass-ceramic (GdYAG-GC). The fluorescence intensity of YAG-GC showed a lower temperature dependence than that of GdYAG-GC, although it showed a more marked decrease with increasing temperature than that of YAG-PC.

Integrated optical pickup with highly sensitive servo signal detection

We proposed a novel structure for an integrated optical pickup based on monolithic integration of waveguide mirrors and photodetectors in a waveguide on a Si substrate. The detection characteristics of focusing and tracking error signals have been demonstrated to be sufficient for practical applications.

Thermal quenching of Ce 3+ : YAG glass-ceramic phosphor

Fluorescence thermal quenching of YAG glass-ceramic (YAG-GC) phosphor was evaluated and compared to YAG polycrystal (YAG-PC) and GdYAG glass-ceramic (GdYAG-GC). The fluorescence intensity of the YAG-GC showed smaller temperature dependence than that of GdYAG-GC, although it showed more drastic decrease than that of the YAG-PC.