Li/Na substitution and Yb(3+) co-doping enabling tunable near-infrared emission in LiIn(2)SbO(6):Cr(3+) phosphors for light-emitting diodes

Near-infrared (NIR) phosphor-converted light-emitting diode (pc-LED) has great potential in non-invasive detection, while the discovery of tunable broadband NIR phosphor still remains a challenge. Here, we report that Cr(3+)-activated LiIn(2)SbO(6) exhibits a broad emission band ranging from 780 to 1400 nm with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 225 nm upon 492 nm excitation. The emission peaks are tuned from 970 to 1020 nm together with considerable broadening of FWHM (∼285 nm) via Li/Na substitution. Depending on Yb(3+) co-doping, a stronger NIR fluorescence peak of Yb(3+) appears with improved thermal resistance, which is ascribed to efficient energy transfer from Cr(3+) to Yb(3+). An NIR pc-LED package has been finally designed and demonstrated a remarkable ability to penetrate pork tissues (∼2 cm) so that the insertion depth of a needle can be observed, indicating that the phosphor can be applied in non-destructive monitoring.