Garnet phosphors prepared via hydrothermal synthesis

This project studied hydrothermal synthesis as a route to producing green-emitting cathodoluminescent phosphorus isostructural with yttrium aluminum garnet (Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12}, or YAG). Aqueous precipitation of Y, Gd, Al, Ga, and Tb salts produced amorphous gels, which were heated with water at 600 C and 3,200 bar to produce crystalline YAG:Tb, Y{sub 3}Ga{sub 5}O{sub 12}:Tb, Y{sub 3}Al{sub 3}Ga{sub 2}O{sub 12}:Tb, and Gd{sub 3}Ga{sub 5}O{sub 12}:Tb powders. Process parameters were identified that yielded submicron YAG:Tb and Y{sub 3}Ga{sub 5}O{sub 12}:Tb powders without grinding. Cathodoluminescent efficiencies were measured as functions of power density at 600 V, using both the hydrothermal garnets and identical phosphor compositions synthesized at high temperatures. Saturation behavior was independent of synthetic technique, however, the hydrothermal phosphorus were less susceptible to damage (irreversible efficiency loss) at very high power densities (up to 0.1 W/cm{sup 2}). The fine grain sizes available with hydrothermal synthesis make it an attractive method for preparing garnet phosphorus for field emission, projection, and head-up displays