Laserfosfor

Laserfosfor is a class of phosphor materials engineered to be excited by laser light to emit visible or near-infrared radiation. The term describes systems where a laser source provides the primary optical pump, and the phosphor layer or particles convert part of that energy into fluorescence. In laser lighting and projection, laserfosfor enables high-brightness, spectrally tunable emission by using short-wavelength laser excitation to drive down-conversion or energy transfer processes in the phosphor.

Mechanisms and materials commonly involved include down-conversion, where rare-earth dopants such as cerium, europium, or terbium in hosts like yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) convert blue or UV photons into longer-wavelength light. Upconversion phosphors can also be used, absorbing two or more low-energy photons to emit at higher energy. In laser phosphor displays, blue laser light excites red, green, and blue phosphor sublayers that mix to create white light or to reveal saturated colors.

Configurations are varied, including on-chip phosphor coatings and remote phosphor layers separated from the laser source to manage heat and improve uniformity. Ceramic or polymer-embedded phosphor composites and micro-structured ceramics are common. Thermal management is critical, as high pump powers drive non-radiative losses and quenching, reducing efficiency and lifetime.

Applications, advantages, and challenges include use in high-brightness lighting, laser projection systems, and automotive lighting where high luminance and color control are desired. Advantages include potentially higher coupling efficiency from coherent pumps and tunable color output. Challenges encompass speckle from laser light, material degradation under intense pumping, and the need for robust packaging and cooling to achieve long lifetimes.