Ceramic phosphors for laser-driven lighting

Laser-driven (LD) lighting is highly demanded in the next-generation lighting technology owing to its advantages of high power, high brightness and compact size. The laser-phosphor conversion technology has become dominant for LD lighting due to its high luminous efficiency and stable performances. As the core component of this technology, the phosphor conversion materials directly determine the chromatic performances and luminous efficiency of the light source. However, conventional phosphor-silicone encapsulation suffers from low thermal conductivity and is prone to carbonization, which can ultimately lead to devices failure. The ceramic phosphors (CPs) are considered as the most promising candidates for LD lighting owing to their superior thermal conductivity, excellent stability and compositional flexibility. This article shows a systematic overview of recent advances in CPs for LD lighting, along with a critical discussion focusing on different emission wavelengths. Furthermore, it also discusses the current challenges in phosphor materials and provides an outlook on their future applications.