Phosphor and manufacturing method for the same, and light source

• US 8,066,910 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citizen Electronics Company Limited, Nichia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dowa Electronics Materials Co. Ltd. (DOWA Holdings Company Limited), Nichia Corporation
• Inventors: Gotoh, Masahiro, Nagatomi, Akira, Yamashita, Shuji, Sakane, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Koslow; Carol M
• Application Number:
  US12/662,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20100301272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 252/301.4 F
• US Class Current: 252/301.4F
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/0883 Arsenides; Nitrides; Phosphides
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/77348 Silicon Aluminium Nitrides or Silicon Aluminium Oxynitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/14 characterised by the chemical or physical composition or the arrangement of the electroluminescent material , or by the simultaneous addition of the electroluminescent material in or onto the light source

Abstract

To provide a phosphor having an emission characteristic such that a peak wavelength of light emission is in a range from 580 to 680 nm, and having a high emission intensity, and having a flat excitation band with high efficiency for excitation light in a broad wavelength range from ultraviolet to visible light (wavelength range from 250 nm to 550 nm). For example, Ca₃N₂(2N), AlN(3N), Si₃N₄(3N), Eu₂O₃(3N) are prepared, and after weighing and mixing a predetermined amount of each raw material, raw materials are fired at 1500° C. for 6 hours, thus obtaining the phosphor including a product phase expressed by a composition formula CaAlSiN₃:Eu and having an X-ray diffraction pattern satisfying a predetermined pattern.

Claims

1. A phosphor comprising:

a product phase expressed by a composition formula MADOoNn;

Z, where element M is at least one or more kind of element having bivalent valency, element A is at least one or more kind of element having tervalent valency, element D is at least one or more kind of element selected from the elements having tetravalent valency, 0 is oxygen, N is nitrogen, and element Z is at least one more kind of element selected from rare earth elements or transitional metal elements satisfying n=3−

2/30, 0+n>

8/3, and

showing a diffraction peak with relative intensity of 10% or more in the Bragg angle (2θ

) range from 36.5°

to 37.5° and

from 41.9°

to 42.9°

of the X-ray diffraction pattern, when the relative intensity of the diffraction peak having a highest intensity in a powder Xray diffraction pattern by CoK_a ray is defined as 100%,

wherein a crystal lattice volume of the product phase is 280.5 Å

3 or more, and an oxygen content in the phosphor is more than 0 and 2.2 wt % or less.

2. The phosphor according to claim 1, wherein a crystallite size of the product phase is 90 nm or more.

3. The phosphor according to claim 1, wherein

the element M is one or more kind of element having bivalent valency, indispensably including Ca;

the element A is one or more kind of element having tervalent valency, indispensably including A1; and

the element D is one or more kind of element having tetravalent valency, indispensably including Si.

4. A light source manufactured using the phosphor according to claim 1.

5. The phosphor according to claim 1, wherein the crystal lattice volume of the product phase is 281.0 A3 or more, and the oxygen content in the phosphor is more than 0 and 1.9 wt % or less.

6. The phosphor according to claim 1, wherein the crystal lattice volume of the product phase is 281.1 A3 or more, and the oxygen content in the phosphor is more than 0 and 1.8 wt % or less.

7. The phosphor according to claim 1, wherein the crystal lattice volume of the product phase is 280.5 A3 to 281.1 A3, and the oxygen content in the phosphor is 1.8 wt % to 2.2 wt %.