Broadband emitting phosphor Sr6Sc2Al4O15:Cr3+ for near-infrared LEDs

Near-infrared (NIR) phosphors play a key role in phosphor-converted NIR emitters, but to find broadband phosphors still remains a great challenge due to the lack of strategies for screening appropriate hosts. Herein, we report a broadband Sr6Sc2Al4O15:Cr3+ NIR phosphor by choosing a host that has crystallographic sites accommodated for both Ce3+ and Cr3+ simultaneously. The emission spectrum of Sr6Sc2Al4O15:Cr3+ covers the region of 600–1500 nm, having a maximum at 860 nm and a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 241 nm. A NIR pc-LED was fabricated by combining the Sr6Sc2Al4O15:Cr3+ phosphor with a blue LED, which can produce a NIR output power of 0.16 mW driven at 750 mA. The fabricated NIR emitter demonstrates a good suitability in night vision and non-destructive detection.