Energy transfer and multicolor emission in germanate glasses containing Ce3+ and Pr3+ for white light-emitting diodes

White light emitting devices have attracted great attention for their use in liquid crystal monitor screens and white light emitting diodes (W-LEDs). Glasses singly or doubly doped with lanthanide ions may be good white light emitters. In particular, various glass systems containing Pr3+ were studied from this point of view. In this work, germanate glasses doubly doped with Ce3+ and Pr3+ ions were prepared by traditional melt quenching technique. The excitation and emission spectra of lanthanide ions were measured. The emission bands corresponding to characteristics transitions of Pr3+ and transition of Ce3+ ions from 5d level to 4f levels (2F7/2 and 2F5/2) are quite well observed. It indicates that the energy transfer process between Ce3+ and Pr3+ ions in germanate glasses occurs. From the emission spectra, the Commission Internationale de I'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates (x, y) were calculated in relation to potential application for white LEDs. Luminescence decay analysis is also presented and discussed in details. The obtained results suggest the possibility of using these Ce3+/Pr3+ co-doped glass systems for future application to white light generation.