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Lithium-indium oxide is a high-density (5.9 g·cm), wide band-gap semiconductor with promising applications for scintillating detection of solar neutrinos as well as for efficient phosphorescence when doped with Er or Sm ions. In this report, we demonstrate visible upconversion emission of Er-doped LiInO synthesized by a simple solid-state chemistry procedure and discuss mechanisms responsible for pumping the Er ions to upper levels. Intense upconversion emission is observed in the green and red spectral regions under near-infrared excitation, and it is greatly enhanced by co-doping with Yb ions. We also examined the upconversion intensity change as a function of temperature, and, consequently, possible applications of this material as a low-temperature sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]