Effect of Zirconium Dioxide in BaO-ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 system on Optical Properties of Color Conversion Glasses

Abstract

The effect of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) on the properties of color conversion glasses was examined in the BaO-ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 system. The difference in refractive index between glass and phosphor affect the optical properties of the color conversion glass because of light scattering. Reducing the difference in refractive index is a method to improve the luminous efficacy of color conversion glasses. As a reference, a type of glass that contains 25 mol% of each component was used. To increase the refractive index of the glass samples, the BaO content was increased from 25 to 40 mol%, and ZrO2 was added at levels of 1, 3, and 5 mol%. Color conversion glasses were prepared by sintering a mixture of glass and 5 wt% YAG:Ce3+ phosphor. As a result, the refractive index of the glass was found to be dependent on the BaO and ZrO2 contents in the BaO-ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 system. As the BaO and ZrO2 contents were increased, the luminous efficacy of the color conversion glass was improved because the refractive index difference between the glass and the YAG:Ce3+ phosphor decreased.