Abstract: A fluorescent substance is provided, with includes a matrix composed of a compound having an AlN polytypoid structure represented by the following general formula (1), and a luminescence center element: (Al, M)a(N, X)b ??(1) wherein, M is at least one metal excluding Al, X is at least one non-metal excluding N, and a and b are positive values.

Abstract: A sintered body of a rare earth oxysulfide is heat-treated at a temperature of 900° C. to 1200° C. in an atmosphere of a mixture of sulfur and oxygen to form island-like rare earth oxide phases on the surface of the sintered body to produce a ceramic scintillator. Therefore, the ceramic scintillator comprises a sintered body of a rare earth oxysulfide, and a rare earth oxide phase formed on the surface of the sintered body, wherein a rare earth oxysulfide phase or the rare earth oxide phase is dispersed on the surface of the sintered body, so that the optical output characteristic of the ceramic scintillator is improved. According to this ceramic scintillator, it is possible to remove the pressure and distortion during sintering, the coloring caused by the deviation from the stoichiometric composition, and the coloring caused during processing such as saw-cutting and polishing.

Abstract: In the method, apparatus and the substance produced thereby: a plasma flame 1 is produced by a plasma torch 11; the plasma flame 1 is passed through a plasma flame furnace 21 which controls the heat of the plasma flame 1; then, the plasma flame 1 is injected into a reactor column 31 to heat the substance. The substance may be a particle. The plasma flame 1 has a wide flame area in which a temperature of flame is uniform.

Abstract: The present invention provides a plasma display panel, comprising a rear substrate provided with ribs defining discharge cells, address electrodes and phosphor layers, and a front substrate provided with transparent electrodes extending in a direction perpendicular to the address electrodes, a transparent dielectric layer and a protective layer, discharge being brought about within the discharge cell formed between the rear substrate and the front substrate to excite the phosphor contained in the phosphor layer so as to cause the phosphor to emit a visible light. In this plasma display panel, the phosphor particles forming the phosphor layer have an average particle size of 0.1 to 5 .mu.m and a ratio of the largest curvature to the smallest curvature of at most 1.5. Also, the magnitude of the irregularities on the surface of the phosphor particle is at most 5% of the diameter of the phosphor particle.

Abstract: Disclosed is a phosphor suitable for use in a cathode-ray tube, a fluorescent lamp, a radiation intensifying screen, which comprises transparent spherical particles having an average particle size of 0.5 to 20 .mu.m and a ratio of the major diameter to the minor meter of individual particles in the range of 1.0 to 1.5, and ultrafine particles having a diameter of 0.2 .mu.m less in an amount of 5 wt % or less.

Abstract: In the method, apparatus and the substance produced thereby: a plasma flame 1 is produced by a plasma torch 11; the plasma flame 1 is passed through a plasma flame furnace 21 which controls the heat of the plasma flame 1; then, the plasma flame 1 is injected into a reactor column 31 to heat the substance. The substance may be a particle. The plasma flame 1 has a wide flame area in which a temperature of flame is uniform.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a phosphor material, which comprises the steps of, generating thermal plasma, supplying a conductive material into the thermal plasma so as to evaporate the conductive material, supplying phosphor particles into the thermal plasma so as to allow the conductive material to adhere onto the surface of the phosphor particles, and cooling the phosphor particles having the conductive material adhered thereon. By making use of this method, it is possible to manufacture a phosphor material comprising a phosphor particle and a conductive layer formed on the surface of the phosphor particle, wherein the ratio between the minor axis and the major axis of the phosphor material is 1.5 or less.

Abstract: A specific binding material labeled with an ultrafine inorganic phosphor 1 to 100 nm in particle size is disclosed The composition of the ultrafine inorganic phosphor is one of Ln.sub.2 O.sub.3 :Re, Ln.sub.2 O.sub.2 S:Re, ZnO, CaWO.sub.4, MO.xAl.sub.2 O.sub.3 :Eu, Zn.sub.2 SiO.sub.4 :Mn, and LaPO.sub.4 :Ce,Tb, wherein Ln represents at least one element selected from La, Gd, Lu, and Y, Re represents at least one element selected from lanthanide elements, M represents at least one element selected from alkali earth metals, and x represents a value from 0.5 to 15. This ultrafine inorganic phosphor is prepared by one of the following processes a process of evaporation in a gas including an RF thermal plasma process, dc plasma thermal spraying, sputtering, glass crystallization, a sol-gel process, precipitation including hydrothermal synthesis, and a spraying process.

Abstract: A raw material prepared by washing a phosphor powder containing a phosphor host material and an activator with an acid solution, followed by drying the washed powder, is heated within a thermal plasma at a temperature which permits partially melting the phosphor, followed by cooling and subsequently subjecting the resultant phosphor at 1200.degree. to 1700.degree. C., thereby manufacturing spherical phosphor particles having a concentration gradient in a radial direction.

Abstract: Disclosed is a phosphor suitable for use in a cathode-ray tube, a fluorescent lamp, a radiation intensifying screen, which comprises transparent spherical particles having an average particle size of 0.5 to 20 .mu.m and a ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of individual particles in the range of 1.0 to 1.5, and ultrafine particles having a diameter of 0.2 .mu.m less in an amount of 5 wt % or less.

Abstract: A phosphor film structure comprising a substrate and a phosphor film formed on the substrate, wherein the phosphor film comprises ultrafine phosphor particles having an average diameter of 200 nm or less, and obtained by heating a phosphor material to vaporize and rapidly quenching to solidify, and a haze of the phosphor film to a luminous flux of 380-760 nm in wavelength is 50% or less.

Abstract: Disclosed is a phosphor suitable for use in a cathode-ray tube, a fluorescent lamp, a radiation intensifying screen, which comprises transparent spherical particles having an average particle size of 0.5 to 20 .mu.m and a ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of individual particles in the range of 1.0 to 1.5, and ultrafine particles having a diameter of 0.2 .mu.m or less in an amount of 5 wt % or less.

Abstract: Disclosed is a phosphor suitable for use in a cathode-ray tube, a fluorescent lamp, a radiation intensifying screen, which comprises transparent spherical particles having an average particle size of 0.5 to 20 .mu.m and a ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of individual particles in the range of 1.0 to 1.5, and ultrafine particles having a diameter of 0.2 .mu.m or less in an amount of 5 wt % or less.

Abstract: A scintillator is disclosed that comprises a ceramic of a rare-earth oxysulfide activated with Pr, such as Gd.sub.2 O.sub.2 S:Pr, having: (1) a ratio of a peak value at about 270 K to that at about 140 K in a glow curve of about 0.01 or less, when the thermoluminescence intensity of the scintillator is measured at a rate of temperature increase of 15.+-.5 K/min after 20 minutes irradiation with ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm and a power of 1 W/m.sup.2 at liquid nitrogen temperature, and (2) a ratio of a peak value at about 630 nm to that at about 512 nm of a thermoluminescence of about 410 K with about 2 nm resolution of about 1 or less.

Abstract: A thin film electroluminescence device is disclosed which comprises are electrode formed on a transparatent substrate, one dielectric layer formed on the electrode, an emitting layer containing Group IIIb-Vb compound as a host material and positive trivalent element ions added as a luminescence center to the host material, the other dielectric layer formed on the emitting layer, the other electrode provided on the other dielectric layer.

Abstract: Rare earth oxysulfide ceramic material prepared by covering the material with a foil of a metal selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, tungsten, platinum, and rhenium, sealing it into an airtight vessel of tantalum or niobium, and then subjecting it to a hot isostatic press process.

Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a ceramic, wherein a ceramic material is covered with a foil of a metal selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, tungsten, platinum, and rhenium, sealed into an airtight vessel of tantalum or niobium, and then subjected to a hot isostatic press process. The method of the present invention can suppress coloration produced in the hot isostatic press.

Abstract: Disclosed is an orange to yellow emitting phosphor, comprising an europium and terbium co-activated indium borate represented by the chemical compositional formula:(In.sub.1-a-b Eu.sub.a Tb.sub.b)BO.sub.3wherein a and b are 0.0001.ltoreq.a.ltoreq.0.04, 0.0001.ltoreq.b.ltoreq.0.04.

Abstract: Disclosed is a white luminescent phosphor for use in a cathode ray tube, which comprises a mixture of at least one phosphor having a composition of the following formula:In.sub.1-p-q-r M.sub.p Eu.sub.q Tb.sub.r BO.sub.3wherein M represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of Sc, Lu, Y, La, Gd and Ga; and each of p, q and r represents a number satisfying the relationships of p.gtoreq.0, q.gtoreq.0, r.gtoreq.0 and 0<p+q+r<1, and having a 10% afterglow period of 10 milliseconds or longer, and a blue luminescent phosphor having the composition of ZnS:Ag.