Light emitting device and illumination apparatus

1. A light-emitting device comprising:

a semiconductor light-emitting element that emits blue-violet or blue light; and

a fluorescent material that absorbs all or a part of the blue-violet or blue light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting element and emits fluorescence of wavelengths different from that of the blue-violet or blue light,

wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of a first fluorescent material that emits green or yellow-green light, a second fluorescent material that has a longer emission wavelength than that of the first fluorescent material and emits yellow-green, yellow, or yellow-red light, and a third fluorescent material that has a longer emission wavelength than the second fluorescent material and emits yellow-red or red light, and

the first fluorescent material is a europium-activated β-SiAlON fluorescent material, the second fluorescent material is a europium-activated α-SiAlON fluorescent material, and the third fluorescent material is a nitride crystalline red fluorescent material expressed by a general formula of (Ca,Eu)AlSiN 3 .

2. A light-emitting device comprising:

a semiconductor light-emitting element that emits blue-violet or blue light; and

a fluorescent material that absorbs all or a part of the blue-violet or blue light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting element and emits fluorescence of wavelengths different from that of the blue-violet or blue light,

wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of a first fluorescent material that emits green or yellow-green light, a second fluorescent material that has a longer emission wavelength than that of the first fluorescent material and emits yellow-green, yellow, or yellow-red light, and a third fluorescent material that has a longer emission wavelength than the second fluorescent material and emits yellow-red or red light,

the first fluorescent material is a europium-activated β-SiAlON fluorescent material, the second fluorescent material is a europium-activated α-SiAlON fluorescent material, and the third fluorescent material is a nitride crystalline red fluorescent material expressed by the general formula of (Ca,Eu)AlSiN 3 , and

the α-SiAlON fluorescent material is expressed by a formula of Ca q Eu r (Si,Al) 12 (O,N) 16 in which q is between about 0.75 and about 1.0 and r is between about 0.03 and about 0.07 and has a primary phase of an α-SiAlON crystalline structure.

3. A light-emitting device comprising: a semiconductor light-emitting element that emits blue-violet or blue light; and a fluorescent material that absorbs all or a part of the blue-violet or blue light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting element and emits fluorescence of wavelengths different from that of the blue-violet or blue light, wherein

the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of a first fluorescent material that emits green or yellow-green light, a second fluorescent material that has a longer emission wavelength than that of the first fluorescent material and emits yellow-green, yellow, or yellow-red light, and a third fluorescent material that has a longer emission wavelength than the second fluorescent material and emits yellow-red or red light,

the first fluorescent material is a europium-activated β-SiAlON fluorescent material, the second fluorescent material is a europium-activated α-SiAlON fluorescent material, and the third fluorescent material is a nitride crystalline red fluorescent material expressed by the general formula of (Ca,Eu)AlSiN 3 , and

the β-SiAlON fluorescent material is expressed by a formula Eu s (Si,Al) 6−s (O,N) 8 in which s is between about 0.011 and about 0.019 and has a primary phase of a β-SiAlON crystalline structure.

4. The light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein light obtained by mixing the light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting element and the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent material has chromaticity expressed by a rectangle formed on a CIE 1931 XYZ colorimetric system chromaticity diagram by connecting a first point at the coordinates of x=0.3274 and y=0.3673, a second point at the coordinates of x=0.3282 and y=0.3297, a third point at the coordinates of x=0.2998 and y=0.3396, and a fourth point at the coordinates of x=0.3064 and y=0.3091.

5. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 , wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of (7.5×C/A):(1.3×C/B):1 provided that peak emission intensities of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials are A:B:C, respectively, when measured by a spectrum corrected fluorescence spectrophotometer.

6. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 , wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of 12:2:1.

7. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 , wherein the chromaticity is within a daylight color range.

8. The light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein light obtained by mixing the light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting element and the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent material has chromaticity expressed by a rectangle formed on a CIE 1931 XYZ calorimetric system chromaticity diagram by connecting a first point at the coordinates of x=0.3616 and y=0.3875, a second point at the coordinates of x=0.3552 and y=0.3476, a third point at the coordinates of x=0.3353 and y=0.3659, and a fourth point at the coordinates of x=0.3345 and y=0.3314.

9. The light-emitting device according to claim 8 , wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of (6.5×C/A):(1.3×C/B):1 provided that peak emission intensities of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials are A:B:C, respectively, when measured by a spectrum corrected fluorescence spectrophotometer.

10. The light-emitting device according to claim 8 , wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of 10.3:2:1.

11. The light-emitting device according to claim 8 , wherein the chromaticity is within a neutral white color range.

12. The light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein light obtained by mixing the light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting element and the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent material has chromaticity expressed by a rectangle formed on a CIE 1931 XYZ calorimetric system chromaticity diagram by connecting a first point at the coordinates of x=0.3938 and y=0.4097, a second point at the coordinates of x=0.3805 and y=0.3642, a third point at the coordinates of x=0.3656 and y=0.3905, and a fourth point at the coordinates of x=0.3584 and y=0.3499.

13. The light-emitting device according to claim 12 , wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of (6.3×C/A):(1.9×C/B):1 provided that peak emission intensities of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials are A:B:C, respectively, when measured by a spectrum corrected fluorescence spectrophotometer.

14. The light-emitting device according to claim 12 , wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of 10:3:1.

15. The light-emitting device according to claim 12 , wherein the chromaticity is within a white color range.

16. The light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein light obtained by mixing the light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting element and the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent material has chromaticity expressed by a rectangle formed on a CIE 1931 XYZ calorimetric system chromaticity diagram by connecting a first point at the coordinates of x=0.4341 and y=0.4233, a second point at the coordinates of x=0.4171 and y=0.3846, a third point at the coordinates of x=0.4021 and y=0.4076, and a fourth point at the coordinates of x=0.3903 and y=0.3719.

17. The light-emitting device according to claim 16 , wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of (5.1×C/A):(1.9×C/B):1 provided that peak emission intensities of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials are A:B:C, respectively, when measured by a spectrum corrected fluorescence spectrophotometer.

18. The light-emitting device according to claim 16 , wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of 8:3:1.

19. The light-emitting device according to claim 16 , wherein the chromaticity is within a warm white color range.

20. The light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein light obtained by mixing the light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting element and the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent material has chromaticity expressed by a rectangle formed on a CIE 1931 XYZ calorimetric system chromaticity diagram by connecting a first point at the coordinates of x=0.4775 and y=0.4283, a second point at the coordinates of x=0.4594 and y=0.3971, a third point at the coordinates of x=0.4348 and y=0.4185, and a fourth point at the coordinates of x=0.4214 and y=0.3887.

21. The light-emitting device according to claim 20 wherein, the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of (5.1×C/A):(1.6×C/B):1 provided that peak emission intensities of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials are A:B:C, respectively, when measured by a spectrum corrected fluorescence spectrophotometer.

22. The light-emitting device according to claim 20 , wherein, the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of the first, second, and third fluorescent materials with a mass ratio of 8:2.5:1.

23. The light-emitting device according to claim 20 , wherein the chromaticity is within an incandescent lamp color range.

24. An illumination apparatus comprising:

a light source including a light emitting device comprising:

a semiconductor light-emitting element that emits blue-violet or blue light; and

a fluorescent material that absorbs all or a part of the blue-violet or blue light emitted by the semiconductor light-emitting element and emits fluorescence of wavelengths different from that of the blue-violet or blue light,

wherein the fluorescent material comprises a mixture of a first fluorescent material that emits green or yellow-green light, a second fluorescent material that has a longer emission wavelength than that of the first fluorescent material and emits yellow-green, yellow, or yellow-red light, and a third fluorescent material that has a longer emission wavelength than the second fluorescent material and emits yellow-red or red light, and

the first fluorescent material is a europium-activated β-SiAlON fluorescent material, the second fluorescent material is a europium-activated α-SiAlON fluorescent material, and the third fluorescent material is a nitride crystalline red fluorescent material expressed by a formula of (Ca,Eu)AlSiN 3 .

25. The illumination apparatus according to claim 24 , wherein the α-SiAlON fluorescent material is expressed by a formula of Ca q Eu r (Si,Al) 12 (O,N) 16 in which q is between about 0.75 and about 1.0 and r is between about 0.03 and about 0.07 and has a primary phase of an α-SiAlON crystalline structure.

26. An illumination apparatus according to claim 24 , wherein the β-SiAlON fluorescent material is expressed by a formula Eu s (Si,Al) 6−s (O,N) 8 in which s is between about 0.011 and about 0.019 and has a primary phase of a β-SiAlON crystalline structure.