Edge breakdown issues in field emission displays

This paper addresses edge breakdown issues in vacuum gap structures similar to field emission displays, both from a theoretical and practical point of view. Several unique solutions have been developed. After using these technologies, the breakdown voltage of a 750 /spl mu/m plain-vacuum gap formed by two thin-film electrodes was improved from /spl sim/16 to /spl sim/24 kV for the first run, and /spl sim/20 to 28 kV for the conditioned regime. The mechanism of breakdown in a plain vacuum gap is discussed.