Wroclaw, Poland--To develop vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV)-excitable phosphors, researchers at the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure, Polish Academy of Sciences have contracted McPherson Instruments (Chelmsford, MA) to build a characterization system for the 120 to 1800 nm range. In the system, the benign discharge of a noble gas will replace mercury excitation to produce phosphor emission under environmentally acceptable conditions.
Led by Przemyslaw Deren, the group plans to use the McPherson system to measure and characterize luminescence properties of phosphors and crystals. The research is intended to help create more efficient methods of commercial lighting. There is still work to be done in order to realize viable, efficient VUV-excited phosphors. Such phosphors will solve two important problems: ecological and efficiency. Today’s compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) rely on mercury, which is harmful to humans and nature. The new VUV phosphors are instead excited by environmentally benign discharge in noble gases. In addition, the VUV phosphors should produce light at twice the energy efficiency as today’s CFLs.
The spectrometer system from McPherson will be used to study quantum cutting phenomena and eventually to obtain a new class of lighting fixtures. The instrument enables research efforts by allowing tunable, monochromatic VUV-wavelength sample excitation and subsequent emission measurements from the VUV to the near infrared at a much lower cost than relying on synchrotron storage rings for VUV radiation.
For more info, see www.McPhersonInc.com.
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