| abstract |
A phosphor composition comprising, as a main component of a phosphor host, a nitride represented by any of a composition formula of MAlSiN 3 ·a'Si 3 N 4 , MAlSiN 3 ·a'MSiN 2 , MAlSiN 3 ·a'M 2 Si 5 N 8 , and MAlSiN 3 ·a'MSi 7 N 10 , and comprising a metal ion selected from rare earth ions and transition metal ions as a luminescent center ion is disclosed, wherein M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Zn, and a' is a numerical value satisfying 0.25 ¤ a' ¤ 2. |