Enhancement of upconversion luminescence of YAlO3: Er3+ by Gd3+ doping

The upconversion luminescences of YAlO3:Er3+ phosphor co-doping with different Gd3+ concentrations are investigated under the excitation of 980- and 532-nm diode lasers. A near ultraviolet upconversion emission at 410 nm is observed in YAlO3 under 532-nm excitation. Moreover, the inactive Gd3+ ions can improve the upconversion intensity efficiently in a certain range of concentration. Under 980-nm excitation, the visible upconversion emissions at 546 and 646 nm are enhanced by about 10 and 8 times at the Gd3+ concentration of 40%, respectively. The upconversion emission at 410 nm under 532-nm excitation is also enhanced by 7 times. The substitution of Gd3+ ions for Y3+ sites changes the local symmetry of Er3+, leading to the improvement of upconversion efficiency.