Structure, fabrication, and corrective test of electron-emitting device having electrode configured to reduce cross-over capacitance and/or facilitate short-circuit repair

An electron-emitting device ( 20, 70, 80 , or 90 ) contains an electrode, either a control electrode ( 38 ) or an emitter electrode ( 32 ), having a specified portion situated off to the side of the bulk of the electrode. For a control electrode, the specified portion is an exposure portion ( 38 EA or 38 EB) having openings that expose electron-emissive elements ( 50 A or 50 B) situated over an emitter electrode. For an emitter electrode, the specified portion is an emitter-coupling portion situated below at least one electron-emissive element exposed through at least one opening in a control electrode. Configuring the device in this way enables the control-electrode-to-emitter-electrode capacitance to be quite small, thereby enhancing the device's switching speed. If the specified portion of the electrode becomes short circuited to the other electrode, the short-circuit defect can be removed by severing the specified portion from the remainder of its electrode.