Phosphor particles, making method, and light-emitting diode

Abstract

Phosphor particles are provided in the form of spherical polycrystalline secondary particles consisting of a multiplicity of primary particles, including a garnet phase having the compositional formula: (A.sub.1-xB.sub.x).sub.3C.sub.5O.sub.12 wherein A is Y, Gd, and/or Lu, B is Ce, Nd, and/or Tb, C is Al and/or Ga, and 0.002x0.2, the secondary particles having an average particle size of 5-50 m.

Claims

1. Phosphor particles in the form of spherical polycrystalline secondary particles consisting of a plurality of primary particles, the phosphor particles comprising a garnet phase having the compositional formula (1):
(A.sub.1-xB.sub.x).sub.3C.sub.5O.sub.12(1) wherein A is at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of Y, Gd, and Lu, B is at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of Ce, Nd, and Tb, C is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al and Ga, and x is a number of 0.002 to 0.2, wherein the secondary particles have an average particle size of 5 to 50 m, and the phosphor particles have an absorptance of at least 90% and an external quantum efficiency of at least 85% at an excitation wavelength of 450 nm and an emission wavelength in the range of 480 to 780 nm.

2. The phosphor particles of claim 1 wherein said primary particles have a particle size of 0.1 to 5 m.

3. The phosphor particles of claim 1 wherein said polycrystalline secondary particles have a surface average protrusion height of 0.02 to 2 m.

4. The phosphor particles of claim 1, wherein the phosphor particles have a barium content of up to 10 ppm.

5. A light-emitting diode comprising a light emitter and a layer, the layer being disposed in a light emission path of the light emitter, the layer being made of the phosphor particles of claim 1.

6. A method for preparing the phosphor particles of claim 1, comprising the steps of: providing a powder oxide or oxides containing one or more of the elements A, B, and C in compositional formula (1) as a starting material, using one powder oxide in which the elements A, B, and C are present in a ratio of compositional formula (1) or mixing two or more powder oxides such that the elements A, B, and C may be present in a ratio of compositional formula (1), granulating the powder oxide or powder oxide mixture into spherical granules as precursors to the secondary particles, with an average particle size of 5 to 65 m, melting the spherical granules in a plasma and solidifying outside the plasma, thereby obtaining spherical particles, and heat treating the spherical particles in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of 900 to 1,700 C.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein no flux is added to the powder oxide or powder oxide mixture.

8. A light-emitting diode comprising a light emitter and a layer, the layer being disposed in a light emission path of the light emitter and comprising the phosphor particles of claim 1 dispersed in a resin or inorganic glass.

9. The phosphor particles of claim 1, wherein precursors to the secondary particles have an average particle size that is 100 to 130% of the average particle size of the secondary particles, and wherein the precursors are melted in a plasma, solidified outside the plasma, and heat-treated to obtain the secondary particles.

10. The phosphor particles of claim 1, wherein the phosphor particles are prepared by a method comprising the steps of: providing a powder oxide or oxides containing one or more of the elements A, B, and C in compositional formula (1) as a starting material, using one powder oxide in which the elements A, B, and C are present in a ratio of compositional formula (1) or mixing two or more powder oxides such that the elements A, B, and C may be present in a ratio of compositional formula (1), granulating the powder oxide or powder oxide mixture into spherical granules as precursors to the secondary particles, with an average particle size of 5 to 65 m, melting the spherical granules in a plasma and solidifying outside the plasma, thereby obtaining spherical particles, and heat treating the spherical particles in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of 900 to 1,700 C.

11. The phosphor particles of claim 10, wherein the non-oxidizing atmosphere is a rare gas atmosphere of which a part of the rare gas is replaced by a reducing gas.

12. The phosphor particles of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of forming an aqueous solution of a phosphor-forming composition comprising the powder oxide or powder oxide mixture, prior to the granulating step.

13. The phosphor particles of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of forming a slurry of a phosphor-forming composition comprising the powder oxide or powder oxide mixture, prior to the granulating step, and the phosphor-forming composition has an average particle size of 0.01 to 2.0 m.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the non-oxidizing atmosphere is a rare gas atmosphere of which a part of the rare gas is replaced by a reducing gas.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises the step of forming an aqueous solution of a phosphor-forming composition comprising the powder oxide or powder oxide mixture, prior to the granulating step.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises the step of forming a slurry of a phosphor-forming composition comprising the powder oxide or powder oxide mixture, prior to the granulating step, and the phosphor-forming composition has an average particle size of 0.01 to 2.0 m.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein the precursors to the secondary particles have an average particle size that is 100 to 130% of the average particle size of the secondary particles.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an electron micrograph of phosphor particles in Example 1.

(2) FIG. 2 is an electron micrograph with greater magnification of phosphor particles in Example 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is an electron micrograph in cross section of a phosphor particle in Example 1.

(4) FIG. 4 is an X-ray diffraction profile of phosphor particles in Example 1.

(5) FIG. 5 is an electron micrograph of phosphor particles in Comparative Example 1.

(6) FIG. 6 is an X-ray diffraction profile of phosphor particles in Comparative Example 1.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(7) As used herein, the term phosphor refers to a fluorescent substance. The terms particles and powder are equivalent in that the powder is a grouping of particles. The particulate phosphor material of the invention is in the form of spherical polycrystalline secondary particles consisting of a multiplicity of primary particles, including a garnet phase having the compositional formula (1):
(A.sub.1-xB.sub.x).sub.3C.sub.5O.sub.12(1)
wherein A is at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of yttrium (Y), gadolinium (Gd), and lutetium (Lu), B is at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of cerium (Ce), neodymium (Nd), and terbium (Tb), C is at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al) and gallium (Ga), and x is a number of 0.002 to 0.2.

(8) The phosphor particles including a garnet phase are prepared by providing a powder oxide or oxides containing one or more of the elements A, B, and C in compositional formula (1) as a starting material, using one powder oxide in which the elements A, B, and C are present in a ratio of compositional formula (1) or mixing two or more powder oxides such that the elements A, B, and C may be present in a ratio of compositional formula (1), granulating the powder oxide or powder oxide mixture into granules with an average particle size of 5 to 65 m, melting the granules in a plasma and solidifying outside the plasma, thereby obtaining spherical particles, and heat treating the particles in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of 900 to 1,700 C.

(9) Two or more starting oxides are mixed such that the elements A, B, and C may be present in a ratio of compositional formula (1). The mixture is granulated. The granules are passed through a plasma where they are melted and become droplets. As the droplets move past the plasma, they are cooled and solidified. Once melted and solidified, the granules transform to composite oxide particles of amorphous nature. There are formed spherical particles having a size which ranges from the size of granules with an average particle size of 5 to 65 m. Unlike the conventional method of preparing phosphor particles by mixing starting oxides with a flux in solid state and firing the oxides in the flux for thereby mixing the respective elements, the inventive method is characterized by introducing granules into a plasma and solidifying again, whereby spherical particles having an average particle size of 5 to 50 m are formed in an amorphous state having respective elements uniformly dispersed. A minimal variation of composition among particles is also characteristic.

(10) The spherical particles as solidified are then heat treated in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of 900 to 1,700 C., yielding spherical crystalline particles containing a garnet phase of compositional formula (1).

(11) The spherical particles as heat treated are available as polycrystalline secondary particles since they are obtained from formation of a multiplicity of minute crystalline primary particles upon crystallization and agglomeration of such primary particles.

(12) The primary particles specifically have a particle size of 0.1 to 5 m and more specifically 0.3 to 3 m. The secondary particles specifically have an average particle size of 5 to 50 m and more specifically 10 to 30 m.

(13) Also preferably, the phosphor particles have a surface average protrusion height of 0.02 to 2 m and more preferably 0.05 to 1 m. The surface average protrusion height is defined as follows. A cross section of phosphor particles is taken, for example, by mixing phosphor particles with an epoxy resin, curing the resin, and grinding the cured epoxy resin having phosphor particles dispersed and buried therein by means of a surface grinding machine. Then cross-sections of particles appear on the ground surface. If a photomicrograph of the cross section is taken, measurement is possible. Since a secondary particle is composed of agglomerated primary particles, the outer periphery in cross section of the secondary particle has microscopic asperities. Two valleys (lowest points) included between one primary particle and two adjacent primary particles are connected to define a straight line. The height of a perpendicular line from the straight line to the peak (highest point) of the one primary particle is measured, giving a protrusion height. Plural measurements are performed and averaged to give a surface average protrusion height.

(14) Since the phosphor particles are polycrystalline, grain boundaries exist on the phosphor surface and in the interior, and the surface defines a surface profile including protrusions corresponding to crystal grains. By letting crystal grains grow to enlarge surface asperities, the absorptance may be improved. If light enters a recess, the light is reflected several times within the recess and absorbed on every reflection. Thus the energy of light entering a recess is almost absorbed until the light goes out of the recess. For this reason, an irregular surface provides a higher absorptance.

(15) The prior art method of preparing phosphor particles has a problem associated with the inevitable addition of a flux during the steps of mixing source oxides and firing. If the flux is used, the element which should essentially be introduced into the garnet phase of phosphor particles can be taken into a fraction not contributing to fluorescence, and specifically combined with a component of the flux to form a crystal or the like. This means that phosphor particles contain more a fraction not contributing to emission.

(16) The method of the invention is successful in preparing phosphor particles without a need of adding or mixing a material other than those included in the phosphor composition, that is, avoids incorporation of any impurity ingredients such as incorporation of barium fluoride impurity typically used in the flux method. In the solid-phase synthesis method using barium fluoride or the like as the flux, even when an attempt is made to wash away the flux component with deionized water or acid after the synthesis of phosphor particles, part of the flux component can be combined with aluminum in the phosphor source material to form an insoluble compound, which is left in the product. In contrast, the phosphor of the invention is in the form of spherical polycrystalline particles having a minimal content of impurity element other than the phosphor components, for example, a barium content of not more than 10 ppm. The absence of any impurity on grain boundaries ensures full transmission of exciting light entering phosphor particles. Therefore the polycrystalline phosphor particles have a high absorptance and contribute to emission in their entirety from the surface to the center.

(17) The garnet phase of compositional formula (1) included in the phosphor particles is the major phase among crystal phases in the phosphor particles. Preferably the garnet phase accounts for at least 99% by volume of all crystal phases.

(18) It is now described how to produce phosphor particles. Phosphor particles are prepared by first selecting a metal oxide(s) from single metal oxides, composite metal oxides, and metal oxide mixtures in accordance with the metal species in the desired phosphor particles, to provide a phosphor-forming composition. The phosphor-forming composition is dispersed in deionized water or an organic solvent to form a slurry.

(19) The composite metal oxide or metal oxide mixture may be prepared, for example, by the following method. A co-precipitate is first prepared by selecting suitable metal salts from salts of metal elements to constitute the phosphor particles (for example, nitrates and chlorides of Y, Gd, Lu, Ce, Nd, Tb, Al, and Ga), dissolving the metal salts in water, and co-precipitating the aqueous solution. Alternatively, it may be prepared by selecting suitable starting materials from the metal salts and metal oxides described above, forming an aqueous solution or slurry thereof, and co-precipitating the aqueous solution or slurry. The resulting co-precipitate is fired at 800 to 1,500 C. in air, obtaining the composite oxide or oxide mixture. The firing time is usually 1 to 10 hours.

(20) If necessary, organic additives such as dispersant and binder may be added to the slurry of the phosphor-forming composition. The slurry may be optionally milled into a slurry of fine particles preferably having an average particle size of 0.01 to 2.0 m. By a granulation technique, generally spherical granules (precursor) of the desired particle size may be prepared from the slurry. Suitable granulation techniques include air atomizing with two-fluid nozzle or four-fluid nozzle, fluidized-bed granulation, centrifugal atomization, tumbling granulation, agitation granulation, compression granulation (such as by rubber or isostatic pressing), extrusion granulation, and disintegration granulation. The granules are compositionally uniform among them due to granulation from slurry. The granules preferably have a size of 5 to 65 m, specifically a size substantially equivalent to the phosphor particles obtained therefrom after heat treatment, more specifically an average particle size corresponding to 100 to 130% of that of phosphor particles after heat treatment.

(21) The granules are passed through a plasma where they are melted into droplets. The plasma source used herein may be a high-frequency plasma or direct-current plasma. The temperature of the plasma should be higher than the melting points of the source metal oxides including rare earth oxides, aluminum oxide, and gallium oxide.

(22) Past the plasma, the droplets are cooled and solidified into particles again. These particles are spherical amorphous particles which exhibit very broad peaks on X-ray diffraction analysis. The particles as such have a low phosphor quantum efficiency, which is usually as low as 40 to 60%. Also the absorptance of exciting light is as low as 50 to 70%. Therefore, the particles resulting from plasma melting must be heat treated in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, for example, a rare gas atmosphere such as argon or helium, a nitrogen atmosphere, or a similar atmosphere in which the inert gas is, in part, replaced by a reducing gas such as hydrogen before the desired crystalline phosphor particles can be obtained. A non-oxidizing atmosphere is used as the heat treating atmosphere to avoid oxidation of the elements serving as the luminescent center such as Ce, Nd and Tb.

(23) The temperature of heat treatment should be 900 C. or higher, preferably 1,000 C. or higher to provide for full crystal growth in phosphor particles. Since the fusion of phosphor particles can adversely affect the distribution of particle size of phosphor particles, the heating temperature should be up to 1,700 C., preferably up to 1,650 C., and more preferably up to 1,600 C. The heat treatment may be carried out in two or more divided modes for purposes of preventing fusion of phosphor particles.

(24) The phosphor particles of the invention may be used in a light-emitting device, typically LED. For example, the phosphor particles are suited for use as a wavelength converting material to form a layer of phosphor particles alone or of phosphor particles dispersed in resin or inorganic glass, in a light emission path of a light emitter capable of emitting excitation light and typically as a phosphor for wavelength conversion of LED. When phosphor particles are dispersed in media such as resins (e.g., epoxy resins and silicone resins) and inorganic glass in order to overlay the light emitter with a phosphor layer, advantageously the particles are uniformly dispersed in the medium and uniformly distributed in the layer. The layer is characterized by a minimized variation of phosphor particle distribution.

(25) The phosphor particles thus obtained have an absorptance of at least 90% of exciting light and an external quantum efficiency of at least 85% at an excitation wavelength of 450 nm and an emission wavelength in the range of 480 to 780 nm.

(26) The phosphor particles are suited as a phosphor for converting the wavelength of light from a light-emitting element of a LED. Thus, the phosphor particles can be advantageously used in a LED, and an illuminating device and a backlight device may be fabricated using the LED.

EXAMPLE

(27) Examples are given below by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

Example 1

(28) In a ball mill, 1,000 g of a composite oxide fine powder of (Y.sub.2.94Ce.sub.0.06)Al.sub.5O.sub.12 having a purity of 99.9% and an average particle size of 1.0 m was milled for 6 hours together with 1,500 g of deionized water, 10 g of poly(ammonium acrylic acid), and 2 g of carboxymethyl cellulose. Using a centrifugal atomizer, the resulting slurry was granulated into granules having an average particle size of 21 m. The granules were heat treated in air at 1,400 C. for 2 hours to burn off the organic matter.

(29) The granules were fed into a DC arc plasma where they were melted and then solidified again, recovering spherical particles.

(30) The spherical particles were annealed in a reducing atmosphere of 99 vol % of argon gas and 1 vol % of hydrogen gas at 1,400 C. for 4 hours, yielding phosphor particles capable of emitting yellow light in response to blue exciting light.

(31) The phosphor particles thus obtained were observed under an electron microscope. Photomicrographs are shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. It is evident from these photomicrographs that each phosphor particle is a secondary particle composed of agglomerated primary particles and has a spherical or substantially spherical shape. The average particle size of phosphor particles was measured by the laser diffraction method. From the microscopic image, the diameter of primary particles of which the phosphor particles were composed was measured, after which an average particle size of 20 primary particles was computed. From the microscopic image of FIG. 3, the height of 10 protrusions on each particle was measured for 10 phosphor particles. An average of total 100 protrusion heights was computed and reported as a surface average protrusion height. The results are shown in Table 1.

(32) The phosphor particles were qualitatively analyzed by XRD, finding a single YAG phase ((Y.sub.2.94Ce.sub.0.06)Al.sub.5O.sub.12, garnet phase). The XRD profile is shown in FIG. 4.

(33) An absorptance, internal quantum efficiency, and external quantum efficiency of the phosphor particles were measured over an emission wavelength range of 480 to 780 nm at an excitation wavelength of 450 nm using an integrating sphere. The result is also shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 1

(34) A powder mixture, 1,000 g, was obtained by mixing a yttrium oxide (Y.sub.2O.sub.3) powder of 99.9% purity having an average particle size of 1.0 m, an aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2O.sub.3) powder of 99.0% purity having an average particle size of 0.5 m, and a cerium oxide (CeO.sub.2) powder of 99.9% purity having an average particle size of 0.2 m in such amounts to give a molar ratio Y:Al:Ce of 2.94:5:0.06. Further 20 g of barium fluoride was added as flux to the powder mixture, which was thoroughly milled. The mixture was fed in an aluminum crucible and heat treated in air at 1,400 C. for 5 hours. The fired body was disintegrated in water using a ball mill. This was followed by pickling, water washing, separation, drying and classification, obtaining phosphor particles.

(35) The phosphor particles thus obtained were observed under an electron microscope. A photomicrograph is shown in FIG. 5. The phosphor particles were single crystals. No grain boundaries were observed on both the cross section and the surface, and no protrusions were observed. The average particle size of phosphor particles was measured by the laser diffraction method. The results are also shown in Table 1.

(36) The phosphor particles were qualitatively analyzed by XRD and found to contain a YAG phase ((Y.sub.2.94Ce.sub.0.06)Al.sub.5O.sub.12, garnet phase) as the major phase and a barium/aluminum composite oxide phase as the second phase. The XRD profile is shown in FIG. 6. It is proven from this result that aluminum was chemically combined with the flux component.

(37) An absorptance, internal quantum efficiency, and external quantum efficiency of the phosphor particles were measured over an emission wavelength range of 480 to 780 nm at an excitation wavelength of 450 nm using an integrating sphere. The result is also shown in Table 1.

(38) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Surface average XRD Average Primary pro- im- Ab- Internal External particle particle trusion pur- sorp- quantum quantum size size height ity tance efficiency efficiency (m) (m) (m) phase (%) (%) (%) Example 18.4 1.3 0.23 nil 0.93 0.96 0.89 1 Compar- 19.3 Ba/Al 0.85 0.90 0.77 ative comp- Example osite 1 oxide

(39) Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-001132 is incorporated herein by reference.

(40) Although some preferred embodiments have been described, many modifications and variations may be made thereto in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described without departing from the scope of the appended claims.