Fabrication and characterization of transparent ceramics phosphor Eu3+ : Y2O3 for light-emitting diode (LED)

• Main Author: Sow, Ling Yuan
• Other Authors: Kong Ling Bing
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/66374
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Transparent ceramics are ideal materials for hosting Light-Emitting Diode (LED) due to their advantages in the ease and various methods for fabrication and the flexibility in designing the experiments, either by changing the dopants concentrations or sintering temperatures etc. The endless pursuit for the optimal fabrication route and conditions can be extensively observed in current field of advanced materials research. In this final year report, Europium doped Yttrium Oxide precursor powder was synthesized, along with sintering additives (MgO and ZrO2) as starting materials. Thereafter, characterization of the final transparent ceramic pellet fabricated was conducted. The transparent ceramic product underwent phase and crystal identification by X-Ray Diffraction, grain size analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy and optical transmittance analysis with the help of Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. In addition, density was also taken into consideration. From the results, the precursor powders fully transformed into crystallized Y2O3 phase with no other phases detected. The average grain size of sintering temperature of 1780°C and 1830°C is relatively close, with a narrow particle size distribution. Optimal sintering temperature was found to be at 1880°C as the final product produced the highest transparency by both visual and quantitative analysis. Further research on the effect of higher sintering temperatures and different holding times during sintering was suggested as future work and research.