《White light emitting diodes》.pdf

White Light Emitting Diodes J. Baur, P. Schlotter and J. Schneider Fraunhofer-lnstitut for Angewandte Festk6rperphysik, Tullastr. 72, D-79108 Freiburg Abstract: Using blue-emitting GaN LEDs on SiC substrate chips as primary light sources, we have fabricated green, yellow, red and white light emitting diodes (LUCOLEDs). The generation of mixed colors, as turquoise and magenta, is also demonstrated. The underlying physical principle is that of luminescence down- conversion (Stokes shift), as typical for organic dye molecules and many inorganic phosphors. For white light generation via the LUCOLED principle, the phosphor Y3AIsO12:Ce3+(4fI) is ideally suited. The optical characteristics of Ce3+(4f 1) in Y3AIsOI2 (YAG) are discussed in detail. Possibilities to tune the white color by various substitutions in the garnet lattice are shortly outlined. 1 Introduction Different blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on gallium nitride (GaN) are now commercially available: The Nichia [1] SQW diode, grown on sapphire (o~-A1203) substrate, available with different wavelengths between ~,max450 nm and ~s = 520 rim, and the Cree [2] blue chip, grown on silicon carbide (6H-SiC) substrate, Lmax = 430 nm. These primary light sources can be used as efficient pumps to excite organic and inorganic luminescent materials for subsequent photon emission at lower energies. The name LUCOLED (Luminescence Conversion LED) has been coined for such a device [3]. If luminescent organic dyes are embedded in organic matrices, as epoxy resin or polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) the luminescent species is, in general, incorporated in molecular form. The spectral shift of the luminescence toward lo