Simple Remelt Process of Phosphate Glass-Based Composite With Embedded YAG:Ce3+ Phosphors for White Light Applications

Abstract

Phosphor-glass composites are promising candidates for stable white light emitting diodes that represent a viable alternative for traditional organic photonic converters. However, their synthesis typically involves harsh sintering processing and long duration, which can lead to performance degradation. Herein, we demonstrate that a simple melting of YAG:Ce³⁺ mixed with a phosphate glass crushed into powder can be used to prepare translucent composites. However, partial decomposition of the YAG:Ce³⁺ crystals is suspected to occur during the re-melting process which leads to the formation of other crystalline phases located at the glass-crystal interface in the form of needle-like features, confirmed using micro-Raman spectroscopy, XRD and SEM. Despite this, the composites exhibit yellow emission under blue excitation with chromaticity coordinates comparable to those of the as-received YAG:Ce³⁺ phosphor. This result confirms that the simple melting process can successfully yield functional composites suitable for white light emitting diode technology.