A
phosphor, most generally, is a substance that exhibits the
phenomenon of
luminescence. Somewhat confusingly, this includes both
phosphorescent materials, which show a slow decay in brightness (> 1 ms), and
fluorescent materials, where the emission decay takes place over tens of nanoseconds. Phosphorescent materials are known for their use in radar screens and glow-in-the-dark toys, whereas fluorescent materials are common in
cathode ray tube (CRT) and plasma video display screens, sensors, and white LEDs.