Phosphors, such as new narrow-band red emitting phosphors for solid state lighting

The lighting unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein

• M is selected from the group consisting of Ca and Sr,
• A is Mg,
• B is selected from the group consisting of Al and Ga,
• C is tetravalent Si,
• ES is divalent Eu,
• RE is selected from the group consisting of trivalent Ce, Pr, Sm, Gd, Tb, and Dy,
• 0<x≦0.2,
• y/x<0.1, and
• n≦0.1.

A phosphor having a UCr4C4 structure, or an ordering variant of the UCr4C4 aristotype, or a NaLi3SiO4 structure, or a KLi3GeO4 structure, having the formula:

• M1−x−y−zZzAaBbCcDdEeN4−nOn:ESx,REy wherein,
• M is selected from the group consisting of Ca, Sr, and Ba
• Z is selected from the group consisting of monovalent Na, K, and Rb
• A is selected from the group consisting of divalent Mg, Mn, Zn, and Cd
• B is selected from the group consisting of trivalent boron, Al and Ga
• C is selected from the group consisting of tetravalent Si, Ge, Ti, and Hf
• D is selected from the group consisting of monovalent Li, and Cu
• E is selected from the group consisting of P, V, Nb, and Ta
• ES is selected from the group consisting of divalent Eu, Sm and Yb
• RE is selected from the group consisting of trivalent Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, and Tm,
• 0≦x≦0.2;
• 0≦y≦0.2;
• 0≦x+y≦0.4;
• 0≦z<1;
• 0≦n≦0.5;
• 0≦a≦4;
• 0≦b≦4;
• 0≦c≦4;
• 0≦d≦4;
• 0≦e≦4;
• a+b+c+d+e=4;
• and
• 2a+3b+4c+d+5e=10−y−n+z.