| abstract |
A fluorophor comprising, as a main component, an a type sialon crystal which contains at least A element (wherein A represents one or more elements selected from among Mn, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Er, Tm and Yb), M element (wherein M represents one or more elements selected from among Li, Na, Mg, Ca, Y, La, Gd and Lu), Si, Al, oxygen and nitrogen, and is represented by the general formulae: (Mx, Ay)(Si12-(m+n)Alm+n)(OnN16-n) (1) m = dMx + dAy (2) 0.2 = x = 2.4 (3) 0.001 = y = 0.4 (4) and 0.5m < n = 4 (5). The fluorophor is reduced in the lowering of brightness, and is useful for a white LED and the like. |