Optical properties of europium containing zirconium oxynitrides

Abstract Eu–Zr–O–N ceramics containing up to 10 mol% Eu 2 O 3 and 7 mol% nitrogen were synthesised by nitridation of europium doped zirconia materials in a nitrogen atmosphere at temperatures between 1600 and 1900 °C. Chemical and structural analyses of the samples depict a correlation between the stability of the observed fluorite-related phases and the concentration of the anion vacancies due to the incorporation of nitrogen and europia. The optical properties of quaternary Eu(III)–Zr–O–N phases are discussed in detail. Little amounts of nitrogen incorporated in the crystal lattice of Zr–Eu–O ceramics dramatically change the optical properties.