This historic display technology uses a secondary electron emission mechanism to trap charge on a dielectric mesh behind the phosphor screen. The stored charge pattern controls a continuous flood beam, keeping the drawn traces illuminated indefinitely as long as power remains. They were heavily used in early analog oscilloscopes and radar displays to capture transient events before digital memory became viable.
I pulled an old Tektronix analog scope from the back room, but the storage tube is completely burned in with a grid pattern.
Related terms
Cathode ray tube
A vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns and a phosphorescent screen used to display images.
CRT
A cathode-ray tube is a vacuum envelope containing an electron gun and a phosphorescent screen.
Picture tube
A large vacuum tube used to display images in older televisions and monitors.