A low sintering temperature glass based on SiO₂–P₂O₅–ZnO–B₂O₃–R₂O system for white LEDs with high color rendering index

A low sintering temperature glass based on the SiO₂–P₂O₅–ZnO–B₂O₃–R₂O (R=K and Na) system was studied as a matrix for embedding phosphors to fabricate color tunable white LEDs. The proposed system, which uses no heavy-metal elements and can be sintered at 500°C, incorporates thermally weak commercial phosphors such as CaAlSiN₃:Eu²⁺ to produce phosphor-in-glasses (PiGs). Changing the mixing ratio of glass to phosphors affected the photo-luminescence spectra and color coordinates of the PiGs when mounted on a blue LED. The color rendering index (CRI) and color correlated temperature (CCT) of the LEDs were also varied with the mixing ratio, providing color tunable white LEDs. A high CRI, up to 93, as well as highly improved thermal stability were obtained, along with a low sintering temperature compared to other glass systems, suggesting the practical feasibility of the proposed system.