Phosphors of La2TeO6 doped with Eu3+ ions have been synthesized by the oxidation of the corresponding rare-earths oxytellurides of formula La2-xEuxO2Te (x = 0.02, 0.06, and 0.1) at 1050 K. Powder X-ray diffraction confirms that the as prepared materials consist of the orthorhombic La2TeO6 as main phase. The photoluminescence (PL) of red-emitting La2-xEuxTeO6 powder phosphors is reported. The emission spectrum, exhibits an intense emission peak due to D-5(0) -> F-7(2) transition at 616 nm, which indicates that the Eu3+ ion occupies a non-centrosymmetric site in the host lattice. These materials could find application for use as lamp phosphors in the red region. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All fights reserved.