Phosphor production method

A production method of a phosphor comprising:

• mixing raw material powders of silicon nitride, M element-containing inorganic substance having oxide of M element, and A element-containing inorganic substance as starting materials (wherein the M Element is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Mn, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb;
• the A Element is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba;
• the oxide of M element is on M2O3 basis;
• and the A element-containing inorganic substance is on AO basis) in a mixing ratio represented by fSi3N4-gM2O3-hAO, in which
• f+g+h=1
• 0.00001≦g≦0.03 (6)
• 0.4≦h≦0.8 (7)
• are satisfied, so as to obtain a raw material mixture;
• and
• baking the raw material mixture at a baking temperature in a range of 1200° C. to 2200° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere so as to produce the phosphor as an inorganic composition containing the at least M Element, A Element, silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and including at least an inorganic crystal having the same crystal structure as that of A2Si5N8 and an A element-containing crystal which is silicate containing A, Si, and O other than the inorganic crystal having the same crystal structure as that of A2Si5N8.