Er-doped LaPO4 microspheres have been synthesized by spray pyrolysis and the near infrared (NIR) properties have been characterized. It has been found that, following an adequate post-annealing treatment, the emission properties are remarkably improved. The NIR luminescence intensity is highly enhanced and its decay time increases to a value almost coincident with the reported radiative lifetime, which implies that the quantum yield approaches n approximate to 100%. This improvement in luminescence characteristics is probably related to the suppression of residual OH- radicals, that otherwise act as NIR luminescence quenchers, and to the increase in material's crystallinity. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.