Achieving High Quantum Efficiency Broadband NIR Mg₄Ta₂O₉:Cr³⁺ Phosphor Through Lithium-Ion Compensation

Ultra-efficient broadband near-infrared (NIR) phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) are urgently needed to improve the detection sensitivity and spatial resolution of current smart NIR spectroscopy-based techniques. Nonetheless, the performance of NIR pc-LED has severely limited owing to the external quantum efficiency (EQE) bottleneck of NIR light-emitting materials. Herein, a blue LED excitable Cr3+-doped tetramagnesium ditantalate (Mg4Ta2O9, MT) phosphor is advantageously modified through lithium ion as a key efficient broadband NIR emitter to achieve high optical output power of the NIR light source. The emission spectrum encompasses the 700-1300 nm electromagnetic spectrum of first biological window (lambda(max) = 842 nm) with a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of approximate to 2280 cm(-1) (approximate to 167 nm), and achieves a record EQE of 61.25% detected at 450 nm excitation through Li-ion compensation. A prototype NIR pc-LED is fabricated with MT:Cr3+, Li+ to evaluate its potential practical application, which reveals an NIR output power of 53.22 mW at a driving current of 100 mA, and a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 25.09% at 10 mA. This work provides an ultra-efficient broadband NIR luminescent material, which shows great promise in practical applications and presents a novel option for the next-generation high-power compact NIR light sources.