A novel green emitting phosphor, Tb3+-doped Ca2GeO4 was prepared for the first time by a solid-state reaction. The phosphor showed prominent luminescence in green due to the magnetic dipole transition of D-5(4) -> F-7(5). Structural characterization of the luminescent material was carried out with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Luminescence properties were analyzed by measuring the excitation and photoluminescence spectra. Photoluminescence measurements indicated that the phosphor exhibited bright green emission at about 541 and 550 nm under UV excitation. In addition, Al3+ or Li+ co-doping enhances the green emission from Ca2GeO4:Tb3+ by about 18 and 4 times, respectively, under UV excitation. The excellent luminescence properties make it a possible candidate for flat panel display application. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.