Electron emissive element and display element

A display element, comprising:

• a matrix wiring comprising a first and a second wirings for defining a plurality of element areas in a matrix and driven at a predetermined potential;
• switching circuits provided in each element area including switching elements connected to the matrix wiring;
• emitter array units stacked on the switching circuits in each element area and connected to the switching circuits, said emitter array units including a plurality of emitter arrays having a plurality of microtip emitters for emitting electrons and a gate electrode for extracting the electrons from the microtip emitters;
• an emitter array drive circuit for driving the emitter array unit for each emitter array provided at the corresponding locations in each emitter array unit;
• and
• anodes disposed opposite to the emitter array units having a certain distance from the emitter array units and a fluorescent material for emitting light upon being bombarded with electrons emitted from the emitters,
• wherein the switching elements are driven by the matrix wiring to select the emitter array units, the emitter arrays in the selected emitter array units are selected by the emitter array drive circuit, and the electrons emitted from the emitters in the selected emitter arrays bombard the fluorescent material of the anode, thereby emitting light.