Method of fabricating carbide and nitride nano electron emitters

A method of making an array of nanoscale carbide or nitride field emitters comprising:

• providing a substrate supporting an array of projecting carbon nanostructures;
• forming a carbide or nitride coating overlying the carbon nanostructures;
• and
• forming a layer of resistive material overlying the projecting carbon nanostructure and underlying the carbide or nitride coating,
• wherein forming the carbide coating includes depositing metal overlying the carbon nanostructures, and forming the nitride coating includes depositing metal overlying the carbon nanostructures and heating the metal on the carbon nanostructures in an ambient including nitrogen or a nitrogen compound to form metal nitride coating on the carbon nanostructures.