US Patent 7545088 Field emission device

A field emission device (10) is provided that prevents electrical breakdown. The field emission device (10) comprises an anode (40) distally disposed from a cathode plate that includes an insulating substrate (12) having a portion exposed to the anode (40), and a cathode metal (14) overlying another portion of the insulating substrate (12). A gate electrode (26) overlies an oxide (24) above at least a portion of the cathode metal (14) and optionally above a portion of the substrate. A dielectric layer (18) is positioned between a resistive layer (22) and the cathode metal (14), and substantially all of the exposed substrate, and underlies substantially all of the gate electrode (26) including its edges (34, 46), providing a resistance between the cathode metal (14) and the edges (34, 46).