Surface and spectral studies of green emitting Sr₃B₂O₆:Tb³⁺ phosphor

In this paper, we report the synthesis of trivalent Tb³⁺ doped Sr₃B₂O₆ phosphor by combustion method using urea as an organic fuel. The structure of the product has been verified by X-ray diffraction study which shows a rhombohedral phase with a space group of R-3c having lattice constants a = 9.064 Å, b = 9.064 Å, c = 12.611 Å. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to study the elemental composition and electronic states of the Tb³⁺ doped Sr₃B₂O₆ phosphor. Photoluminescence spectra showed that the phosphor emits in the greenish region (with the main peak at 544 nm) of color gamut under UV excitation. The diffuse reflectance spectra of the Sr₃B₂O₆ phosphor were studied. Lifetime and band gap of the phosphors were calculated to be 2.55 ms and 5.25 ± 0.02 eV, respectively.