Photoluminescence properties of near-UV pumped deep red-emitting Sr2ZnGe2O7: Eu3+ phosphors for plant growth LEDs

Abstract In this paper, Eu3+-activated Sr2ZnGe2O7 (SZGO) phosphors were prepared by a traditional solid-state synthesis method. These phosphors exhibit two intense emission band around 615 nm (red) and 704 nm (deep red) under excitation at 394 nm. The dependences of the emission intensities on Eu3+ concentration was analyzed. The optimum doping concentration of Eu3+ for the phosphor is about 5 mol%. Besides, the SZGO: Eu3+ phosphor shows fluorescence tunable properties between 615 nm and 704 nm as the concentration of Eu3+ increasing. The results show that the SZGO: Eu3+ phosphor may be applied in near ultraviolet pumped plant growth LEDs.