Giant Red-Shifted Emission in (Sr,Ba)Y2O4:Eu2+ Phosphor Toward Broadband Near-Infrared Luminescence

Near-infrared (NIR) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) light sources are desirable in photonic, optoelectronic, and biological applications. However, developing broadband red and NIR-emitting phosphors with good thermal stability is always a challenge. Herein, the synthesis of Eu 2+ -activated SrY 2 O 4 red phosphor with high photoluminescence quantum efficiency and broad emission band ranging from 540 to 770 nm and peaking at 620 nm under 450 nm excitation is designed. Sr/Ba substitution in SrY 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ has been further utilized to achieve tunable emission by modifying the local environment, which facilitates the giant red-shifted emission from 620 to 773 nm while maintaining the outstanding thermal stability of SrY 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ . The NIR emission is attributed to the enhanced Stokes shift and crystal field strength originated from the local structural distortions of [Y1/Eu1O 6 ] and [Y2/Eu2O 6 ]. The investigation in charge distribution around Y/Eu provides additional insight into increasing covalency to tune the emission toward the NIR region. As-fabricated NIR phosphor-converted LEDs demonstration shows its potential in night-vision technologies. This study reveals the NIR luminescence mechanism of Eu 2+ in oxide-based hosts and provides a design principle for exploiting Eu 2+ -doped NIR phosphors with good thermal stability.