Preparation, structure and luminescence properties of deep red phosphors SrSiNe：Eu2

This paper reported a novel synthetic route to Eu2＋ doped SrSiN2 deep red phosphors for white light-emitting diodes. A series of single-phased and high-efficiency SrSiN2：Eu2＋ red phosphors were synthesized based on this method. Their structure, morphology, luminescence, quantum efficiency （QE） and thermal quenching properties were investigated and compared with those of SrSiN2： Eu2＋ prepared by the conventional route. It was found that the addition of a small amount of Si3N4 could promote the formation of SrSiN2 from Sr2SisN8 phase. A highly uniform rod-shaped morphology was obtained based on this method. The X-ray powder diffraction and the Rietveld refinement analysis identified the preferential crystalline orientation growth. Under the blue light excitation, Eu2＋ doped SrSiN2 phosphors showed excellent optical properties. Compared with those prepared by the conventional approaches, the external QE of SrSiN2：Eu2＋ phosphor was greatly improved, allowing it a promising phosphor for white LEDs.