A ceramic synthesis technique, combustion synthesis, is explored to produce blue-emitting ZnGa2O4 phosphors. This technique involves the reaction of metal nitrates with a glycine as an organic fuel. In this article, the effects of processing parameters such as the ratio of glycine to ZnGa2O4 and the heat treatment are reported. The variation of the ratio of glycine to ZnGa2O4 introduces the compositional change in the as-synthesized ZnGa2O4, which in turn seriously influences the luminescence properties. Furthermore, the subsequent heat treatment of the as-synthesized one increases the intensity of the luminescence just after the combustion reaction. In particular, the samples heat treated at above 1200 degreesC show a strong blue-emission peak at 445 nm, which is attributed to the single phase and well-crystallized ZnGa2O4 oxides in the spinel structure. (C) 2003 American Vacuum Society.