Homogeneous precipitation synthesis and low-voltage cathodoluminescence of SnO₂:Eu³⁺ phosphors for field emission displays

A reddish-orange-emitting SnO₂:Eu³⁺ phosphor for field emission displays (FEDs) was successfully synthesized via a homogeneous precipitation route using urea as a precipitant. The influences of the dopant concentration of Eu³⁺ and calcination temperature on optical properties were investigated. The low-voltage field emission properties of the FED device prepared using the synthesized SnO₂:Eu³⁺ phosphors were reported. Under the UV light, SnO₂:Eu³⁺ phosphors display the strong orange-red emission peaked at 587, 591, and 597 nm due to the ⁵D₀→⁷F₁ magnetic dipole transition of Eu³⁺. The phosphor doped with 1.0 mol% Eu ³⁺ possesses the highest photoluminescent (PL) intensity. Under the low-voltage excitation of 300 V, the fabricated FED device exhibits the bright orange-red emission, high-voltage brightness saturation, and high color purity, which has a potential application in low-voltage full color FEDs.