A low turn-on voltage volcano-shaped field emitter, a method of fabrication, and integration into an addressable array suitable for applications in field emitter displays and other electron generating applications are disclosed. In one embodiment, the device is fabricated using a stepped insulator in which the distance between the gate and the emitter near the emission surface is significantly reduced with respect to the thickness of the insulator and separates the gate from the emitter. By keeping the large gate-to-emitter distance, the device capacitance is reduced and fabrication yield is increased, since pinholes in the insulator are significantly reduced. In another embodiment of the present invention, the integration of the device into an addressable array suitable for electron emission is described. The array incorporates a network of resistors which assures uniform emission.