A method is provided for manufacturing a flat panel display in which a baseplate has a conductive row electrode deposited on it followed by an insulator. A conductive gate electrode is deposited over the insulator and a soft mask material is deposited over the conductive gate electrode. Microspheres are deposited on the soft mask material and an isotropic etch uses the microspheres as a mask to etch the soft mask material to form soft mask portions under the microspheres. The microspheres are removed and a hard mask material is deposited over the soft mask portions. The hard mask material is processed and chemical mechanical polished down to the soft mask portions which are removed by etching to leave a hard mask which is used by anisotropic etch process to form gate holes in the gate electrode. The gate holes are used to form emitter cavities into which emitters are deposited.