Patent ID: 7635944

Claim:
An electron-emitting device comprising: an emitter section composed of a dielectric material; a lower electrode disposed on the lower side of the emitter section; an upper electrode disposed on the upper side of the emitter section so as to be opposed to the lower electrode with the emitter section therebetween, electrons being emitted from the emitter section through the upper electrode by the application of a drive voltage between the lower electrode and the upper electrode; and means for polarizing the dielectric material of the emitter section, wherein the upper electrode is provided with a plurality of through-holes that expose the emitter section and have an average diameter that is smaller than the grain size of the dielectric material of the emitter section and that is in a range of 10 nm or more and less than 100 nm, and a peripheral portion of each through-hole facing the emitter section is separated at a predetermined distance from the emitter section.