A novel Y3-xSi6N11: xCe3+ yellow phosphor was synthesized using the carbothermal reduction and nitridition method at 1550 degrees C for 16h in this letter. Photoluminescence spectra indicated that the phosphor showed broad excitation spectrum and had strong absorption in range of 350-450nm. It also gave a broad emission band (Full width at half maximum=153nm) centered at 575nm under 425-nm excitation. With increasing Ce3+ concentration, the strongest emission intensity was obtained at 5mol% Ce3+ doping amount and a systematic redshift was observed as the Ce3+ concentration increased. The results indicate that this novel yellow phosphor is a promising candidate for using in blue-chip-excited white light-emitting diodes (LEDs).