page_title: Screen burn-in
section_title: CRT
hierarchical_section_title: Screen burn-in / CRT
caption_attribution_description: English: Phosphor burn-in ("screen burn") visible on an amber monochrome CRT computer monitor; shows burn-in from a spreadsheet program and a program utilizing ASCII-art. Self-made photo; own monitor; released PD.
context_page_description: Screen burn-in, image burn-in, or ghost image, colloquially known as screen burn or ghosting, is a discoloration of areas on an electronic display such as a CRT display or an old computer monitor or television set caused by cumulative non-uniform use of the pixels.
  Newer liquid-crystal displays may suffer from a phenomenon called image persistence instead, which is not permanent.
context_section_description: Phosphor burn-in is particularly prevalent with monochromatic CRT screens, such as the amber or green monochrome monitors common on older computer systems and dumb terminal stations. This is partly because those screens displayed mostly non-moving images, and at one intensity: fully on. Yellow screens are more susceptible than either green or white screens because the yellow phosphor is less efficient and thus requires a higher beam current. Color screens, by contrast, use three separate phosphors (red, green, and blue), mixed in varying intensities to achieve specific colors, and in typical usage patterns such as "traditional" TV viewing (non-gaming, non-converged TV usage, non-Internet browsing, broadcasts without tickers or flags, no prolonged or permanent letterboxing) are used for operations where colors and on-screen object placement approach uniformity.
  Modern CRT displays are less susceptible than older CRTs prior to the 1960s because they have a layer of aluminum behind the phosphor which offers some protection.  The aluminum layer was provided to reflect more light from the phosphor towards the viewer.  As a bonus, the aluminum layer also prevented ion burn of the phosphor and the ion trap, common to older monochrome televisions, was no longer required.
caption: Screen burn on an amber CRT computer monitor. Note that there are two separate burned-in images: one of a spreadsheet program, and another of an ASCII-art welcome screen.
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