Investigations on remote temperature sensing of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) at the surface and at the bond-coat/top-coat interface were carried out. Using Y2O3:Eu thermographic phosphor as an embedded temperature sensing layer, sub-surface temperature probing through 300 mu m of atmospheric plasma sprayed YSZ is demonstrated. The Y2O3:Eu thermographic phosphor displays a temperature sensitivity ranging between 400 degrees C up to a maximum of 900 degrees C when utilizing the luminescence originating from the 611 nm emission band. Dysprosium stabilized zirconia (10 wt.% DySZ), a TBC material, is also investigated and established as a temperature sensor from 400 degrees C up to a temperature of 1000 degrees C using both the intensity decay time and emission intensity ratio methods. In addition, the luminescence of presumed optically inactive YSZ materials was spectroscopically investigated in terms of optical interferences caused by impurities. A validation temperature probing measurement through 300 mu m of YSZ top-coat was successfully performed in a SGT-800 Siemens burner running at six different operating conditions in an atmospheric combustion rig. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.