Excitation expansion in the high-energy UV region for Dy³⁺-doped medium-temperature molten silicate glass phosphors

Medium-temperature molten Dy³⁺-doped silicate (LNKBAS) glass phosphors can be excited efficiently in the low-energy ultraviolet region (UVA). To this end, the addition of sensitizers Sb³⁺ and Ce³⁺ expands the validly excitable wavelength of Dy³⁺ from 348 to 248 nm. Fluorescence spectra demonstrate the superposition effect of the sensitization in the high-energy ultraviolet region (UVC), and the multiplicative effect of sensitization in the UVA and medium-energy ultraviolet region (UVB) for Sb³⁺–Ce³⁺–Dy³⁺ tri-doped LNKBAS glass phosphors. The chromaticity coordinate of LNKBASCe_0.04Sb_0.1Dy_1.0 is (0.2725, 0.3031) at 248 nm excitation, and the sensitization coefficient of LNKBASCe_0.04Sb_0.2Dy_1.0 reaches at 19.85 under 309 nm excitation. Static fluorescence photographs and dynamic fluorescence video reveal the excitation expansion and the multiplicative effect of sensitization to Dy³⁺ by adding sensitizers at a macroscopic level. In general, the ideal rare-earth energy conversion in medium-temperature molten silicate glass phosphors offers promising prospects for saving energy and manufacturing high-quality optoelectronic devices.