Short Communication

Luminescent thermal history sensing potential in Pr³⁺-activated YAG matrix

¹ Warsaw University of Technology, Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Koszykowa 75, Warsaw 00-662, Poland
² Łukasiewicz Research Network Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics, al. Lotników 32/46, Warsaw 02-668, Poland
³ Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, al. Noakowskiego 3, Warsaw 00-664, Poland

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 30 December 2025
Accepted: 4 February 2025

Abstract

In this study, it was demonstrated that Pr³⁺-doped YAG powder can record thermal history in the temperature range of the template provided by 1100–1600 °C. Upon heating, the material undergoes irreversible structural phase transformations (YAM → YAP → single-phase YAG) induced by 2 h of thermal annealing, leading to permanent changes in both the emission intensity and the excited-state lifetime of Pr³⁺ ion. Temperature can be determined using two approaches: by analyzing the intensity ratio of the ³P₀ → ³H₄ and ¹D₂ → ³H₄ emission bands, which increases linearly over 1300–1600 °C with a sensitivity of 0.001 °C⁻¹, and by measuring the luminescence decay time of the ¹D₂ → ³H₄ transition, which decreases linearly over 1100–1600 °C with a sensitivity of 0.38 μs °C⁻¹. The combination of both methods enables durable and quantitative tracking of the material’s thermal history, confirming the suitability of YAG:Pr³⁺ powders for high-temperature diagnostics, thermal mapping, and monitoring of industrial processes.