Photoluminescence Characteristics of Spherical-Shaped LaPO 4 :Tb Phosphor Particles Prepared by Spray Pyrolysis

Fine :Tb phosphor particles with spherical shape were prepared by spray pyrolysis. The influence of the precursor type of phosphorous such as (), , () and on the morphology and brightness of particles was investigated. As-prepared particles by spray pyrolysis had spherical shape when () and were used as the precursor of phosphorous. The precursor type of phosphorous affected the photoluminescence intensity of :Tb phosphor particles, but not significant. With changing the content of activator(Tb) and excess of phosphorous, the optimal composition giving the highest photoluminescence intensity was found. The spherical morphology of prepared :Tb particles was completely maintained even after the posttreatment up to . When the posttreatment temperature was over , the particles did not have the spherical shape anymore. However, the highest photoluminescence intensity of prepared :Tb particles was obtained at . The photoluminescence characteristics of prepared :Tb under the vacuum ultraviolet(VUV) illumination was comparable with that of the commercial :Mn and (La,Ce)PO:Tb phosphor particles. At the optimal condition, the decay time of prepared spherical :Tb phosphor particles was about 6.8ms.