Using nanowire field emitters can be a way to overcome the high cost of field emission display using Spindt-type tip arrays. How to integrate nanowire emitters into the field emission display device structure without influencing the device structure is an important issue. In this study, a gated CuO nanowire field emitter arrays were fabricated by a microfabrication process. By using a thermal oxidation process, the CuO nanowire field emitter arrays are prepared from copper thin film pads defined in a planar-gate structure. Effective emission current modulation by the gate voltage is achieved. Using a green phosphor screen as anode, a brightness of 92 cd/m(2) was obtained at an anode voltage of 4.5 kV and a gate voltage of 120 V when operating under direct current mode. A vacuum-packaged field emission display using CuO nanowire field emitter arrays was also fabricated and display of moving images was demonstrated. The reported technique could be a promising route to achieved large area field emission display with high resolution display at low cost. (C) 2010 American Vacuum Society. [DOI: 10.1116/1.3428544]