normalZnO
phosphors were prepared at a variety of firing temperatures according to the reaction
2normalZnO+normalZnS→3normalZn false(normalexcessfalse)+SO2
. The absolute values of the cathodoluminescent intensity,
I
, and the decay time, τ, were determined for the green emission band of these phosphors at 5 ma/cm2 and 10 kv excitation. The temperature dependence of
I
and τ, the form of the decay, the dependence of τ on exciting current density, the aging characteristics, and the spectral distribution were also measured.It was found that, at liquid nitrogen temperature,
I
and τ are nearly constant for all samples regardless of the firing temperature used during the phosphor preparation. As the sample temperature is raised above that of liquid nitrogen,
I
and τ both become temperature dependent, which is attributed to nonradiative quenching processes that compete with the luminescent transitions. At room temperature a nearly linear relationship exists between
I
and τ. This behavior is independent of sample preparation methods or commercial source of the phosphor. It was also observed that the decay was nonexponential and that τ is dependent on the exciting current density, which shows that the green luminescence is the result of a second‐order recombination process. The influence of the firing temperature on the structure of the luminescent center is also evident from the increased aging rate of those samples which were prepared at higher temperatures.