Manganese doped zinc silicate luminescent phosphors with III-V oxide substitutions

Luminescent composition of a solid solution comprising

• Zn.sub.2-y Mn.sub.y Si.sub.1-2x M.sub.x.sup.+3 M.sub.x.sup.+5 O.sub.4, having a willemite crystal structure,
• wherein
• M.sup.+3 and M.sup.+5 are ions from Groups IIIA and VA of the periodic table of the elements,
• wherein
• 0<y.ltoreq.0.25 and 0<x<0.5,
• wherein x is an amount sufficient to effect a luminescence efficiency that is greater than said composition absent M.sup.+3 and M.sup.+5, and
• wherein y is an amount sufficient to effect an emission peaked near 5230 A.

Luminescent composition of a solid solution comprising

• Zn.sub.2-y Mn.sub.y Si.sub.1-2x (Z).sub.xx O.sub.4, having a willemite crystal structure,
• wherein Z is selected from the group consisting of AlP, GaAs, BP, GaP, BAs, and AlAs, wherein 0<y.ltoreq.0.25 and 0<x<0.5,
• wherein x is an amount sufficient to effect a luminescence efficiency that is greater than said phosphor absent z, and
• wherein y is an amount sufficient to effect an emission peaked near 5230 A.

Method of preparing luminescent phosphor composition consisting of the steps of:

• forming M.sup.3 M.sup.5 O.sub.4 from M.sup.+3 oxide and M.sup.+5 oxide, wherein M.sup.+3 and M.sup.+5 are ions from Groups IIIA and VA of the periodic table of the elements;
• and
• reacting ZnCO.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, MnCO.sub.3 with M.sup.3 M.sup.5 O.sub.4 to form
• Zn.sub.2-y Mn.sub.y Si.sub.1-2x M.sub.x.sup.+3 M.sub.x.sup.+5 O.sub.4, having a willemite crystal structure wherein
• 0<y.ltoreq.0.25 and 0<x<0.5,
• wherein x is an amount sufficient to effect a luminescence efficiency that is greater than said composition absent M.sup.+3 and M.sup.+5,
• wherein y is an amount sufficient to effect an emission peaked near 5230 A, and
• wherein said reacting comprises
• reacting ZnCO.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, MnCO.sub.3 and M.sup.3 M.sup.5 O.sub.4 ;
• at sufficiently elevated first temperatures to calcine them, and
• pressing the calcined material and firing it at higher second elevated temperatures until a single phase product with said willemite structure is formed.