Luminescent materials Luminescent materials

Evaluation of luminescent materials

What are luminescent materials?

Photoluminescent materials refer to substances that, when returning from an excited state to a ground state due to external energy stimulation, emit a portion of that energy as light. This phenomenon is known as luminescence. Depending on the type of energy absorbed and the mechanism of light emission, various types of luminescence exist, including discharge luminescence, photoluminescence, electroluminescence, chemiluminescence, bioluminescence, and cathodoluminescence. These materials play an essential role in various fields, serving as both the materials themselves and the basis for creating luminescent devices such as PC and smartphone displays, LED lights, and lasers, significantly impacting our daily lives.

Examples of luminescent materials and luminescent devices

Discharge luminescence

Discharge luminescence

  • Low-pressure discharge lamp (such as fluorescent lamps and neon lamps)
  • High-pressure discharge lamp (such as mercury lamps and xenon lamps) 

Photoluminescence

Photoluminescence

  • Quantum Dots
  • Fluorescent probes for biomedical applications
  • White LED phosphors
  • Organic EL materials

Electro-luminescence

Electro-luminescence

  • Organic light emitting diode (OLED)
  • Light emitting diode (LED)
  • Laser diode (LD)

Chemical luminescence

Chemical luminescence

  • Luminol
  • Chemical light

Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence

  • Luciferin
  • Equoline

Cathode luminescence

Cathode luminescence

  • Fluorescent lamps
  • Cathode ray tube (CRT)
  • Field emission display (FED)

The process of researching and developing luminescent materials

The development of luminescent materials is fundamentally carried out through a process that involves selecting compounds or substances that serve as the basis for the material, synthesizing those compounds, and evaluating the luminescent properties of the material.

 

The process begins when suitable compounds are chosen from a vast pool of candidate compounds, and then synthesized. Subsequently, various techniques such as spectral measurements, quantum yield measurements, and fluorescence lifetime measurements are used to assess the characteristics of the synthesized luminescent material.

 

At Hamamatsu Photonics, a range of evaluation equipment is available for luminescent materials, including spectrometers, luminescence quantum yield measurement devices, fluorescence lifetime measurement devices, and transient absorption measurement devices.

Measurement methods: examples and products

Introducing the principles, examples, and recommended products for each measurement method used in the evaluation of luminescent materials.

Related products

 

Various spectrometers and modules are available for the measurement of spectra and absorbance, and for Raman spectroscopy.

 

Evaluation systems for fluorescence/luminescence material and device parameters.

 

Measurement systems of multispectrum kinetic changes at high sensitivity and high time resolution.

 

The streak camera is an ultrahigh-speed detector which captures light emission phenomena occurring in extremely short time periods.

 

The Micro LED PL inspection system ensures rapid, complete quality checks using photoluminescence to detect LED abnormalities on wafers, often missed by other methods.

Light source lineup

The Laser-Driven Tunable Light Source (LDTLS™) is a compact, fully integrated and highly stable tunable broadband light source based on proven Laser-Driven Light Source (LDLS™) technology.

The Chromatiq Spectral Engine™ (CSE) is a sophisticated light source capable of matching real-world lighting conditions, emulating illuminant standards, and creating custom spectra.

The SuperK CHROMATUNE is the World’s broadest tunable laser giving you an unmatched 400-1000 nm tuning range.

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