Efficiency of Eu3+ Fluorescence in Oxygen-Dominated Host Lattices

Abstract

The efficiency of Eu³⁺ fluorescence in a variety of rare‐earth oxygen‐dominated host materials was measured under excitation by 2537 Å uv at 25°C. It was found to be of the same order as that of the commercial phosphor, magnesium arsenate:Mn in all such hosts. To account for the high efficiency and particularly for the insensitiveness of efficiency to the nature of the host lattice, it is proposed that europium—oxygen states are excited directly and that the corresponding absorbtion coefficient is of a magnitude to make this the dominant absorption process.