Transient Response of Phosphors

The transient behavior of cathode-ray tube phosphors is of considerable interest in many applications, such as the improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio in radars. Although material appears in the literature concerning the decay characteristics a short time after the excitation is switched off, very little appears regarding the buildup characteristics or the decay characteristics immediately following removal of the excitation. The analysis of a phosphor model which covers the entire buildup and decay range is presented in this paper. The analysis shows that under certain conditions the transient behavior of phosphor brightness buildup and decay can be accurately expressed in a relatively simple form during the excitation period and immediately after the excitation is removed. The transient behavior and time constants involved are determined by the number of different types of imperfection centers present and their excitation and decay probability time densities.