Patent ID: 7545088

Claim:
A field emission device comprising: an anode plate including an anode having a first surface; and a cathode plate distally disposed from the first surface and having sequential first, second, third, fourth, and fifth portions, comprising: a substrate positioned in the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth portions; a cathode metal overlying the third and fourth portion of the substrate; a first dielectric layer overlying the cathode metal, the cathode metal and first dielectric layer forming a first side adjacent the second portion and a second side adjacent the fifth portion; a plurality of electron emitters consisting of being positioned over the substrate in the first portion; a ballast resistive layer formed on the first dielectric layer in the third and fourth portions, formed on the substrate in the first, second, and fifth portions, and covering the first and second sides, thereby making electrical contact between the cathode metal and the plurality of electron emitters, and providing a surface exposed to the anode in the fifth portion; a second dielectric layer overlying the ballast resistive layer surface in the second and third portions; and a gate metal layer overlying the second dielectric layer, the second dielectric layer and the gate metal layer having a third side adjacent the first portion and defining a well enclosing the plurality of electron emitters and a fourth side adjacent the fourth portion, the third side distally disposed from the first side and the fourth side distally disposed from the second side, wherein the ballast resistive layer provides a resistance between the fourth side of the gate metal and the cathode metal.