A Nickel-doped, lanthanum gallium germanate-based phosphor as an ultra-broadband short-wavelength infrared region emitter for optical imaging

Short-wavelength infrared region light source (SWIR, λ = 1000–2000 nm) is useful for optical imaging of biological tissues for lack of auto-fluorescence, low intrinsic absorption, and low scattering. Here, we report the synthesis, characterization, and mechanistic studies of a Ni2+-doped, lanthanum gallium germanate-based phosphor, La3Ga5GeO14:Ni2+, that emits SWIR with an ultra-broad bandwidth emission of 1000–2000 nm, a full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of 340 nm, which covers near infrared-II and III regions. The analysis of crystal structure suggests that Ga3+ ions in [GaO6] octahedron lattices are replaced by Ni2+ ions, possibly due to the similar radius shared by both ions. The observed ultra-broadband SWIR luminescence with large Stokes shift is most likely originated from the influence of a strong crystal field on the extent of the cleavage of energy levels of Ni2+ ions, which is supported by the charge density data of [GaO6] octahedra in La3Ga5GeO14 derived from state density functional calculation. A SWIR pc-LED was constructed by packaging the La3Ga5GeO14:Ni2+ phosphor with a near-ultraviolet LED chip, and its potential application in optical imaging of human bodies was explored.