A violet emission in ZnS:Mn,Eu: Luminescence and applications for radiation detection

We prepared manganese and europium co-doped zinc sulfide (ZnS:Mn,Eu) phosphors and used them for radiation detection. In addition to the red fluorescence at 583 nm due to the d-d transition of Mn ions, an intense violet emission at 420 nm is newly observed in ZnS:Mn,Eu phosphors. The emission is related to Eu²⁺ doping but only appears at certain Eu²⁺ concentrations. It is found that the intensity of the 420 nm violet fluorescence is X-ray does-dependent, while the red fluorescence of 583 nm is not. The ratio of fluorescence intensities at 420 nm and 583 nm has been monitored as a function of X-ray doses that exposed upon the ZnS:Mn,Eu phosphors. Empirical formulas are provided to estimate the doses of applied X-ray irradiation. Finally, possible mechanisms of X-ray irradiation induced fluorescence quenching are discussed. The intense 420 nm emission not only provides a violet light for solid state lighting but also offers a very sensitive method for radiation detection.