Lateral type poly-silicon field emitters were fabricated by utilizing the local oxidation of silicon process. for the realistic implementation of an ideal field-emission device with quasizero tunneling barrier, a new and fundamental approach has been conducted by inducing a carbon-based ultrathin layer on the cathode tip surface via a field-assisted self-aligning of carbon process. Fundamental lowering of the turn-on field for the electron emission was feasible with the control of both the tip, shape and surface barrier height. With the formation of surface carbon layer, a required voltage for an emission current of 10 nA was gradually reduced from similar to60 to similar to0.6 V. (C) 2003 American Vacuum Society.