A vertical field emitter structure and field emission device such as a flat panel display utilizing such structure. Self-aligned gate and emitter fabrication is described, together with virtual column field emitter structures, comprising an emitter or gated emitter with conductive columns connecting the emitter to an underlying resistor or conductor structure formed by chemical or other modification of portions of an underlying layer. The display of the invention utilizes field emission structures with low turn-voltages and high accelerating voltages, thereby permitting high brightness, small pixel size, low manufacturing costs, uniform brightness, and high energy efficiency to be achieved.