Novel YAGG: Cr garnet phosphor ceramic with broadband near infrared (NIR) emission and luminescence thermal stability for plant growth

In recent years, NIR (Near-Infrared) phosphor-converted LEDs (pc-LEDs) have played an indispensable role in the field of plant lighting. This study presents the development of a novel garnet-based phosphor ceramic, YAGG:0.035Cr3+, obtained through a high-temperature solid-state method. Through optical and structural performance analysis, it was found that the sample can be effectively excited by a commercial 450 nm blue LED, emitting near-infrared light in the range of 650–850 nm. This emission spectrum overlaps with approximately 74% of PFR spectrum absorbed by plant growth, and it achieves QY of around 40%. Notably, this ceramic demonstrates excellent thermal luminescence properties, maintaining approximately 96% of its integrated emission intensity at 423 K compared to room temperature. To explain this outstanding thermal performance, we analyzed that the gradual substitution of the 4T2 level for the 2E level leads to the dominance of the 4T2-4A2 transition process in PL. Furthermore, the YAGG:0.035Cr3+ phosphor ceramic was packaged with a 450 nm LED, and the emitted light intensity exhibited a linear relationship with the driving current. Even under high-power driving conditions of 1000 mA, the luminescence did not reach saturation. These results effectively demonstrate the potential application of YAGG:0.035Cr3+ phosphor ceramic in the field of plant lighting.