Reducing the consumption of electricity is one of the principal areas of current research into energy saving technologies. Within this area is the effort to reduce the demand for electricity for lighting purposes. To consider just the domestic requirements, during 2011 domestic electricity consumption in the UK was 30% of a total electricity demand of 374TWh. Of this figure of 112TWh some 13TWh were used for lighting alone. This thesis describes research made in this area, in particular the manufacture of lighting luminaires making use of High Brightness Light Emitting Diodes (HBLEDs). The thesis outlines and demonstrates a methodology for the design, testing and subsequent manufacture of complete luminaires which make suitable, low energy consumption alternatives to conventional lighting using filament lamps and fluorescent fittings. Work has been done in the areas of:Thermal management, Power supply design, Luminaire design, Performance simulation in software, 'Remote phosphor’ luminaires in which LEDs with blue light outputs are used to provide blue light which is converted to usable white light by phosphor laden acrylic plates employed in luminaires for both wavelength conversion and light diffusion, Luminaire performance measurementIt is shown that substantial savings in energy (over 50%) can be made by using HBLEDs in lighting luminaires whilst producing satisfactory lighting for a variety of purposes.

Two major topics that involve synthetic strategies to enhance the phosphorescence of organic and inorganic luminophores have been investigated. The first topic involves, the photophysical and photochemical properties of the gold (I) complexes LAuIX (L = CO, RNC where R = alkyl or aryl group; X = halide or pseudohalide), which have been investigated and found to exhibit Au-centered phosphorescence and tunable photochemical reactivity. The investigations have shown a clear relationship between the luminescence energies and association modes. We have also demonstrated for the first time that aurophilic bonding and the ligand p-acceptance can sensitize the photoreactivity of Au(I) complexes. The second topic involves conventional organic fluorophores (arenes), which are made to exhibit room-temperature phosphorescence that originates from spin-orbit coupling owing to either an external or internal heavy atom effect in systematically designed systems that contain d10 metals. Facial complexation of polycyclic arenes to tris[{m-(3,4,5,6-tetrafluorophenylene)}mercury(II)], C18F12Hg3 (1) results in crystalline adducts that exhibit bright RGB (red-green-blue) phosphorescence bands at room temperature. This arene-centered phosphorescence is always accompanied by a reduction of the triplet excited state lifetime due to its sensitization by accelerating the radiative instead of the non-radiative decay. The results of both topics are significant for rational design of efficient metal and arene-centered phosphors for molecular light emitting diodes in addition to the fundamental novelties in inorganic chemistry and molecular spectroscopy.

Zinc gallate and Mn²⁺-activated zinc gallate were identified as potential low-voltage cathodoluminescent phosphors for use in vacuum fluorescent displays. The stability of these oxide phosphors in high-vacuum and absence of corrosive gas emission under electron bombardment, offer advantages over commonly used sulfide phosphors. A low-voltage cathodoluminescence spectrophotometer was developed for phosphor characterization. Sample brightness was measured as a function of anode voltage (10-300 VDC). The effects of activator concentration, phosphor layer thickness, deposition process, and internal pressure were examined. From photoluminescence measurements, absorption and emission centers were identified, the role of composition in the luminescence process explained, and host-to-activator, non-radiative energy transfer identified for ZnGa₂0₄:Mn²⁺. Samples of the general composition Zn_1-xMn_xGa₂O₄, with x ranging from 0 to 0.03, were synthesized by solid-state reaction techniques using oxide precursors fired in air, followed by reduction firing in 98%N₂, 2%H₂. The phase-pure ZnGa₂O₄ spinel structure of all the compositions was characterized by X-ray diffraction. / Master of Science

New transparent p- and n-type semiconductors and luminescent materials have been prepared and characterized. Synthesis, structures, optical and electrical properties of new chalcogenide fluoride p-type transparent semiconductors MCuQF (M=Ba, Sr; Q=S, Se, Te) are described. Band-gap tuning and improvement in conductivity through p-type doping are demonstrated in the family. The new Ag sulfide fluoride BaAgSF has been prepared, and its optical and electrical properties have been examined. Phase stabilization as well as optical and electrical properties of the p-type conductors BaCu₂S₂ and BaCu₂Se₂ are considered. New n-type transparent conducting films of W-doped In₂O₃ and W-doped zinc indium oxide (ZIO) have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition, and their electrical properties have been examined. Results on new transparent thin-film transistors containing SnO₂ or ZIO are also presented. Strong near-infrared luminescence of BaSnO3 is described, and the emission brightness is correlated to the crystallite size of assembled nanoparticles. Syntheses, structures, and optical properties of (La,Y)Sc₃(BO₃)₄:Eu³⁺, (Ba,Sr)Sc₂(BO₃)₄:Eu²⁺, and LuAl₃(BO₃)₄:Ln³⁺ (Ln=Eu, Tb, Ce) have been considered with emphasis on relations between structures and optical properties. Finally, the synthesis and luminescence properties of new potential X-ray phosphors Lu₂O₂S:Ln³⁺ (Ln=Eu, Tb) are summarized. / Graduation date: 2005

W.T. Dyall. / "January 16, 1948." Based on a thesis submitted to M.I.T. Dept. of Physics, 1948. / Bibliography: p. 102-104. / Army Signal Corps Contract No. W-36-039 sc-32037.

Graduation date: 1993

A new form of antimicrobial surface was developed, which relies on an optical mechanism rather than chemical inactivation of microorganisms. Through the photoluminescence process of upconversion, low energy photons can be amplified into higher energy photons, and in this case, phosphors capable of converting visible light into germicidal UVC radiation were synthesized. Host crystals were doped with a praseodymium activator ion and shown to emit UVC photons upon excitation by blue or violet light. Surface coatings were prepared and proof-of-concept experiments demonstrated that, under exposure to a household fluorescent lamp, sufficient UVC radiation was emitted from the surfaces to achieve observable inactivation of surface bacterial spores and inhibition of biofilm growth. Material engineering was conducted to achieve higher optical conversion efficiency, wherein lithium codoping and development of alternative oxyfluoride host crystals were found to significantly improve upconversion emission. Implications of polychromatic excitation were investigated by conducting photoluminescence spectroscopy under combined laser beam excitation, while the effects of other application parameters are also discussed. These findings show that upconversion-based antimicrobial materials have strong potential for offering sustainable and effective technology for the prevention of diseases.

White light generation through phosphors excitation by UV-LED has become an important subject in WLED. In our study, compounds of SrSiO3¡GDy3+ white-emitting phosphors are synthesized via hydrothermal method. In this study, the effects of annealing temperature, annealing time, contents of Dy3+ on the relative emission intensity of the phosphors are judicially investigated. Meanwhile, WLED produces a plenty of heat energy to cause phosphors high temperature when WLED is excited by electrical energy. The emission spectra of the phosphors are investigated excited by Hg arc lamp (£f=365nm) under high temperature environment. Another, two distinct emission bands from SrSiO3¡GDy3+ phosphors are found to be around 480nm and 572nm when the phosphor is excited by Hg arc lamp(£f=365nm). The combination of these two emissions forms a white light like color to naked eyes, showing that SrSiO3¡GDy3+ presents to be a promising phosphor for applications in fabricating white-light-emitting diodes through UV pumping.

The a. c. thin film electroluminescent (ACTFEL) devices are of scientific interest due to their applications in large area, flat panel displays. Of particular interest to the research community is the mechanism of electron transport and luminance in these devices. Toward this end, a physical model and a mathematical model for SrS:Cu ACTFEL Devices were developed and published earlier by our group. The purpose of this thesis is to obtain a qualitative and quantitative match between experiment and theory. A brief summary of the model can be found here [1]. Effects of variation in drive parameters in experimental steady state measurements, and analysis of VIL (Voltage-Current-Luminance) plots for different simulated device and drive parameters are performed. The effects of voltage amplitude, activator concentration, interface energy levels, and critical field for dipole collapse were studied. The plots matched qualitatively in that all major experimental features were produced in the simulated waveforms. The measured and the simulated peak currents are 72.5 mA/cm2 and 66.42 mA/cm2 for VA = 123 V. Experimental and theoretical charge transferred per pulse were 2.75 C/cm2 and 2.26 C/cm2. Peak experimental and simulated luminance values for VA = 123 V were 531 cd/m2 and 49150 cd/m2. Total experimental and simulated luminance values for VA = 123 V case were 6.2 cd/m2 and 561.2 cd/m2 respectively. The large difference is attributed to the loss factors such as optical losses (due to total internal reflection), scattering of electrons by impurities in the bulk phosphor layer, and concentration quenching; these have not been incorporated in the model yet.

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of SrS based ACTFEL devices. Better understanding of the processes in the host phosphor will give us the possibility to design more efficient blue emitting ACTFEL devices. Towards this aim, a physical model, that describes the optoelectronic processes taking place in the phosphor, was developed and analytical equations were written. The analytical model was numerically simulated and the plots of flux flowing through the device and luminance output by the device were obtained. Experiments were performed to obtain the plots of current flowing through the device and luminance output by the device. These plots were then qualitatively compared and the results of comparisons are presented. The numerical simulations qualitatively verify the accuracy of the model. The drive parameters were varied in order to study its effect on the VIL characteristics of the device. On varying the voltage applied to the device and its rise and fall times, a good insight was obtained into device behavior. Simulations were also performed to obtain responses to qualitatively match the experimentally obtained responses. Various What-If scenarios have been studied by varying the device parameters. These studies have indicated the importance of these parameters in determining device performance.