Luminescence
intensity is a critical issue for upconversion oxides
with high phonon energy. Herein, an effective enhancement in red upconversion
luminescence (UCL) is implemented via an intermediate band (IB) in
the Ba2ScAlO5:Yb3+/Er3+ phosphor after Ca2+ doping. The downshifting luminescence
spectra under the irradiation of a 320 nm laser verify the existence
of the IB. The physical mechanism is that the valence band (VB) →
IB transition increases the absorption of the excitation energy and
provides plentiful electrons from the host to Er3+. Therefore,
the red and green emission intensities are increased by 45.2 and 7.5
times, respectively. The dependence of luminescent intensity on power
and an effective fluorescence lifetime of Ca2+-doped Ba2ScAlO5:Yb3+/Er3 also confirm
the proposed energy transfer mechanism. Based on the excellent red
emission, the temperature-dependent luminescent properties of the
title material are explored in the temperature range from 298 to 358
K. The linear relationship between the luminescence and the temperature
and the high sensitivity suggest the promising potential in biomedical
temperature-sensing applications. This work paves a new way for enhancing
UCL and will arouse extensive interest in noncontact temperature-sensing
applications with a single red upconversion emission.