Historically, black body radiation in the tungsten filament lamp was our primary industrial means for producing 'artificial' light, as it replaced gas lamps. Solid state luminescent devices for applications ranging from lamps to displays have proliferated since then, particularly owing to the develop­ ment of semiconductors and phosphors. Our lighting products are now mostly phosphor based and this 'cold light' is replacing an increasing fraction of tungsten filament lamps. Even light emitting diodes now chal­ lenge such lamps for automotive brake lights. In the area of information displays, cathode ray tube phosphors have proved themselves to be outstandingly efficient light emitters with excellent colour capability. The current push for flat panel displays is quite intense, and much confusion exists as to where development and commercialization will occur most rapidly, but with the need for colour, it is now apparent that solid state luminescence will play a primary role, as gas phase plasma displays do not conveniently permit colour at the high resolution needed today. The long term challenge to develop electroluminescent displays continues, and high performance fluorescent lamps currently illuminate liquid crystal monochrome and colour displays. The development of tri­ component rare earth phosphors is of particular importance.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of luminescence, discussing the theory, production, and real-life applications of luminescence and luminescent materials.

These proceedings report the lectures and seminars of a course entitled "Luminescence of Inorganic Solids," held at Erice, Italy, June 15-30, 1977. This course \'7aS an activity of the International School of Atomic and No1ecu1ar Spectroscopy of the "Ettore Hajorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. The course opened with an overvievl of the present status of luminescence research and with an assessment of its future trends. The following lectures introduced the basic formalism behind the interaction of matter with the radiation field and the lattice phonons. The luminescence properties of various classes of in­ organic materials were treated next, for the specific cases of unfilled-shell activators (transition metal, lanthanide and actinide ions) and filled-s~e11 activators (s2 and d10 ions). Different models suitable for the description of the luminescence properties of semiconductors vlere examined next. The dynamics of energy transfer and relaxation in the excited state of t;1e activators were treated in lectures devoted to the luminescence phenomena of sensitization, concentration quenching and thermal quenching. Finally, the relevance of luminescence studies to the field of phosphor technology and to the laser field Has examined. Each lecturer began the treatment of this topic(s) at a fundamental level and finally reached the current level of research.

This volume is a collection of reviewed and relevant research chapters offering a comprehensive overview of recent developments in the field of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials and devices

This book presents a detailed description of the basic semiconductor physics. The reader is assumed to have a basic command of mathematics and some elementary knowledge of solid state physics.

This book presents a detailed description of the basic physics of semiconductors. All the important equations describing the properties of these materials are derived without the help of other textbooks.

The aim of this book is to give readers a broad review of topical worldwide advancements in theoretical and experimental facts, instrumentation and practical applications erudite by luminescent materials and their prospects in dealing with different types of luminescence like photoluminescence, electroluminescence, thermo-luminescence, triboluminescence, bioluminescence design and applications. The additional part of this book deals with the dynamics, rare-earth ions, photon down-/up-converting materials, luminescence dating, lifetime, bioluminescence microscopical perspectives and prospects towards the basic research or for more advanced applications.