Eu-containing inorganic compound, luminescent composition and luminescent body containing the same, solid laser device, and light emitting device

A luminescent inorganic compound, which contains luminescence center ions capable of being excited by irradiation of exciting light and capable of producing luminescence having at least one luminescence peak wavelength in a visible light wavelength region of 400 nm to 700 nm, and which contains substantially one kind of luminescent rare earth element alone as the luminescence center ions,

• the luminescent inorganic compound having characteristics such that:
• an excitation spectrum, which represents a luminescence intensity at the highest luminescence peak wavelength within the visible light wavelength region with respect to excitation wavelengths, has a plurality of excitation peak wavelengths in the wavelength region shorter than 470 nm,
• the luminescent inorganic compound having characteristics such that:
• in cases where a doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element is set at various different values, and calculation is made to find a light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw between two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity among the plurality of excitation peak wavelengths in the wavelength region shorter than 470 nm, wherein Pf represents the light absorption intensity at the excitation peak wavelength on a long wavelength side when the two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity, are compared with each other, and wherein Pw represents the light absorption intensity at the excitation peak wavelength on a short wavelength side when the two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity, are compared with each other,
• the luminescent inorganic compound exhibits a range of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element, in which range the light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw takes an approximately predetermined value regardless of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element,
• the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element in the luminescent inorganic compound being set at a value falling within the range of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element, in which range the light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw takes an approximately predetermined value regardless of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element.

A luminescent inorganic compound, which contains luminescence center ions capable of being excited by irradiation of exciting light and capable of producing luminescence having at least one luminescence peak wavelength in a visible light wavelength region of 400 nm to 700 nm, and which contains substantially one kind of luminescent rare earth element alone as the luminescence center ions,

• the luminescent inorganic compound having characteristics such that:
• an excitation spectrum, which represents a luminescence intensity at the highest luminescence peak wavelength within the visible light wavelength region with respect to excitation wavelengths, has a plurality of excitation peak wavelengths in the wavelength region shorter than 470 nm,
• the luminescent inorganic compound having characteristics such that:
• in cases where a doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element is set at various different values, and calculation is made to find a light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw between two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity among the plurality of excitation peak wavelengths in the wavelength region shorter than 470 nm, wherein Pf represents the light absorption intensity at the excitation peak wavelength on a long wavelength side when the two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity, are compared with each other, and wherein Pw represents the light absorption intensity at the excitation peak wavelength on a short wavelength side when the two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity, are compared with each other,
• the luminescent inorganic compound exhibits a range of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element, in which range the light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw is approximately in proportion to the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element,
• the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element in the luminescent inorganic compound being set at a value falling within the range of 0.5 Ne mol % to 2.0 Ne mol %, wherein Ne mol % represents the highest doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element in the range of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element, in which range the light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw is approximately in proportion to the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element.

A process for producing a luminescent inorganic compound, which contains luminescence center ions capable of being excited by irradiation of exciting light and capable of producing luminescence having at least one luminescence peak wavelength in a visible light wavelength region of 400 nm to 700 nm, and which contains substantially one kind of luminescent rare earth element alone as the luminescence center ions,

• the luminescent inorganic compound having characteristics such that:
• an excitation spectrum, which represents a luminescence intensity at the highest luminescence peak wavelength within the visible light wavelength region with respect to excitation wavelengths, has a plurality of excitation peak wavelengths in the wavelength region shorter than 470 nm,
• the luminescent inorganic compound having characteristics such that:
• in cases where a doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element is set at various different values, and calculation is made to find a light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw between two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity among the plurality of excitation peak wavelengths in the wavelength region shorter than 470 nm, wherein Pf represents the light absorption intensity at the excitation peak wavelength on a long wavelength side when the two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity, are compared with each other, and wherein Pw represents the light absorption intensity at the excitation peak wavelength on a short wavelength side when the two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity, are compared with each other,
• the luminescent inorganic compound exhibits a range of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element, in which range the light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw takes an approximately predetermined value regardless of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element,
• the process comprising the step of:
• setting the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element in the luminescent inorganic compound at a value falling within the range of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element, in which range the light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw takes an approximately predetermined value regardless of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element.

A process for producing a luminescent inorganic compound, which contains luminescence center ions capable of being excited by irradiation of exciting light and capable of producing luminescence having at least one luminescence peak wavelength in a visible light wavelength region of 400 nm to 700 nm, and which contains substantially one kind of luminescent rare earth element alone as the luminescence center ions,

• the luminescent inorganic compound having characteristics such that:
• an excitation spectrum, which represents a luminescence intensity at the highest luminescence peak wavelength within the visible light wavelength region with respect to excitation wavelengths, has a plurality of excitation peak wavelengths in the wavelength region shorter than 470 nm,
• the luminescent inorganic compound having characteristics such that:
• in cases where a doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element is set at various different values, and calculation is made to find a light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw between two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity among the plurality of excitation peak wavelengths in the wavelength region shorter than 470 nm, wherein Pf represents the light absorption intensity at the excitation peak wavelength on a long wavelength side when the two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity, are compared with each other, and wherein Pw represents the light absorption intensity at the excitation peak wavelength on a short wavelength side when the two excitation peak wavelengths, which are associated with the highest luminescence intensity and the second highest luminescence intensity, are compared with each other,
• the luminescent inorganic compound exhibits a range of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element, in which range the light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw is approximately in proportion to the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element,
• the process comprising the step of:
• setting the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element in the luminescent inorganic compound at a value falling within the range of 0.5 Ne mol % to 2.0 Ne mol %, wherein Ne mol % represents the highest doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element in the range of the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element, in which range the light absorption intensity ratio Pf/Pw is approximately in proportion to the doping concentration of the luminescent rare earth element.