WHITE-LIGHT EMITTING GLASSES

For the first time vitreous materials capable of generating "white light" by simultaneous emission of blue, green, and red emitting fluorescent centers have been produced. These glasses are B2O3-based and contain Ce3+, Tb3+, and Mn2+ as activators. Both chromaticity coordinates and luminescence intensity vary vs glass composition and activator concentration. The spectroscopic properties of singly, doubly, and triply doped glasses are reported. Ce3+ shows a broad-band emission centered at the border between UV and visible light domains. Moreover, this ion acts as a donor in codoped glasses, transferring part of its energy to Tb3+ and Mn2+, whose luminescence occurs respectively in the green and red parts of the visible. The mechanisms of the various energy transfers observed have been investigated by a detailed kinetic investigation. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.