Ternary oxide phosphor particles

US6706210B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Isis Innovation Limited · GB

Inventors

• Peter James Dobson · Felton, GB
• Garreth Wakefield · Felton, GB

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 15, 2001
• Grant date: Mar 16, 2004
• Expiry date: Oct 15, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C09K11/7787
• WIPO field: Basic materials chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Phosphor compositions are prepared by treating metal oxides or mixed-metal oxides with refractory metals to form cathodoluminescent phosphors stimulatable by electrons of very low energy. The phosphors comprise 90% to 100% of a mixed metal oxide Mx,TyOz (where M is a metal selected from Zn, Sn, In, Cu, and combinations thereof; T is a refractory metal selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, and combinations thereof; and O is Oxygen, x, y, and z being chosen such that z is at most stoichiometric for MxTyOz) and 0% to 10% of a dopant comprising a substance selected from a rare earth element of the lanthanide series, Mn, Cr, and combinations thereof, or stoichiometrically excess Zn, Cu, Sn, or In. A blue-light-emitting phosphor based on ZnO treated with Ta2O5 or Ta to form Ta2Zn3O8 is characterized by CIE 1931 chromaticity values x and y, where x is between about 0.14 and 0.20 and y is between about 0.05 and 0.15. In preferred embodiments, a process is specially adapted for forming the phosphor in an electrically-conductive thin-film or surface-layer form in situ during fabrication of displays. A preferred in situ process has an integrated etch stop, which precisely defines th…