text: electromagnetic radiation , including light in the visible spectrum , but preferably ultraviolet ( uv ) radiation , is applied against a dielectric surface ( insulator surface ), such as the outer surface of spacers , of field emission devices to neutralize the charge on the dielectric surface . in another exemplary embodiment , the radiation is directed into the spacer , which acts as a light guide . as the radiation repeatedly reflects off the inner surface of the spacer ( light guide ), the charges on the surface are mobilized and subsequently neutralized . in both exemplary embodiments , charges trapped inside the band gap of the dielectric surface are excited by the high energy photons . field emission displays can modulate light with sub - millisecond response times , and they are also comparatively inexpensive light sources . this makes them desirable for both active visual displays and backlight applications . an fed includes an anode , a cathode , and spacers that keep the anode and the cathode from collapsing under vacuum . electrons emitted from the cathode strike cathodoluminescent phosphors on the anode to produce light . the efficiency of cathodoluminescent phosphors increases sharply with electron energy and anode voltage . for energy efficient displays / backlights , anode voltages exceeding 5 kv are required . moreover , cathodoluminescent light sources are known to age as a function of the overall number of electrons hitting the phosphor . achieving brightness with a high current and low anode voltage limits the lifetime of the phosphors , and correspondingly , of the display / backlight . for the lifetime issue , it is desirable to operate at high voltages ( 5 - 15 kv ) and low currents . this is especially true for a backlight because it must produce 20 times more light than the phosphors of a crt display due to the inefficient optical shutters like lcds . this can be accomplished by using a higher duty cycle , which is feasible because the number of scan lines in an fed backlight is much smaller than in traditional field emission displays . it is well known that under electron bombardment , spacers may charge up due to secondary electron emission from the spacer surface . charged spacers significantly alter the local electric field and consequently alter the trajectories of the electrons around the spacer , resulting in “ visible ” spacers . in more serious cases , this charging leads to arcing and device destruction . the spacer technology for a typical field emission display holding off these voltages is difficult to implement , and would involve very leaky spacers and reliability problems ( see u . s . pat . no . 5 , 985 , 067 ), or extra discharging electronics ( see u . s . pat . no . 6 , 031 , 336 ). the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description . the exemplary embodiments described herein may be fabricated using known lithographic processes as follows . the fabrication of integrated circuits , microelectronic devices , micro electro mechanical devices , microfluidic devices , and photonic devices , involves the creation of several layers of materials that interact in some fashion . one or more of these layers may be patterned so various regions of the layer have different electrical or other characteristics , which may be interconnected within the layer or to other layers to create electrical components and circuits . these regions may be created by selectively introducing or removing various materials . the patterns that define such regions are often created by lithographic processes . for example , a layer of photoresist material is applied onto a layer overlying a wafer substrate . a photomask ( containing clear and opaque areas ) is used to selectively expose this photoresist material by a form of radiation , such as ultraviolet light , electrons , or x - rays . either the photoresist material exposed to the radiation , or that not exposed to the radiation , is removed by the application of a developer . an etch may then be applied to the layer not protected by the remaining resist , and when the resist is removed , the layer overlying the substrate is patterned . alternatively , an additive process could also be used , e . g ., building a structure using the photoresist as a template . referring to fig1 of a partial cutaway isometric view , and to fig2 of a partial cross sectional view taken through one of the spacers 22 from line 2 - 2 , a display 10 shows a first display plate 12 , e . g ., an anode , for a field emission display that includes a transparent plate 14 , which is typically made of glass . a plurality of pixels 16 arranged typically in rows and columns across the anode 12 include deposits of a light emitting material 18 , such as a cathodoluminescent material , or phosphor . a plurality of regions 20 exist between the rows and / or columns for making physical contact with spacers 22 so that a predetermined spacing can be maintained between the anode 12 and a second display plate 24 ( fig2 ), e . g ., a cathode , without interfering with the light emitting function of the display 10 and thereby defining an evacuation area 25 maintained by vacuum seal 27 . the spacers 22 comprise a rigid material transparent to visible and / or uv light , e . g ., sio 2 or al 2 o 3 , and are able to withstand intense pressure exerted by the anode and cathodes . a black surround layer ( black matrix ) 26 , for example ruthenium oxide , is formed on the transparent plate 14 . the black surround layer 26 may comprise a thickness in the range of 1 - 20 μm , and more preferably is 5 μm . in the preferred embodiment , the layer 26 is deposited with thick film techniques such as screen printing , electrophoretic deposition , or electroplating rather than thin film vacuum deposition techniques . this layer may be formed across the transparent plate 14 and then screen printed to form the regions 20 . for anodes built with the fodel ( photo definable screen print paste ) technology , the silver fodel and the black matrix can be deposited in sequential steps and then exposed with the same photomask . the light emitting material 18 is placed in the pixels 16 by screen printing . the phosphor - coated display anode 12 described above presents the light emitting material to the direct impact of electrons . this configuration is desirable for displays which use a low anode voltage , e . g ., less than 4 kilovolts . high voltage display designs benefit from providing a thin aluminum layer 32 over the light emitting material . the thin layer 32 of aluminum is formed on the light - emitting layer 18 by physical vapor deposition techniques such as evaporation or sputtering . the aluminum layer 32 acts as a reflector and directs all the light generated through the faceplate to the viewer . without this reflection , half of the light goes back towards the electron emitters ( not shown ) within the second display plate 24 . effectively , the light output from the display anode 12 ( faceplate ) doubles with the use of the aluminum layer . however , the aluminum layer acts to absorb the energy of the electrons , thereby reducing the light emitted from the faceplate . when using a very thin aluminum layer , nominally 50 nanometers thick , the benefits of reflection outweigh the detriments of energy absorption mentioned above in the range of 4000 volts . the aluminum layer 32 may comprise a thickness in the range of 10 - 1000 nm , and more preferably is 50 nm . in accordance with one exemplary embodiment , still referring to fig1 and 2 , a light source 34 , e . g ., an light emitting diode , is disposed on the layer 32 and contiguous to the spacers 22 and is preferably adjacent the spacer 22 . though it is preferable to have the light source 34 disposed on alternating ends of the spacers 22 , they may be disposed in other arrangements , e . g ., on the same end . the spacer 22 is a transparent material so light emitted from the light source 34 passes into and is transmitted through the spacer 22 in a manner that light 37 travels through a light guide ( fig3 ). when the light 37 strikes the surface 29 of the spacer 22 that is near a charge 39 , the field accompanying the light ( photon ) causes the charge 39 to be detrapped from the bandgap on the surface 37 . though the spacers 22 shown in fig1 and 2 are in a typical configuration of a rectangle block , other configurations are envisioned . for example , fig4 illustrates a spacer as an optical fiber 38 having a tubular shape . similar elements appearing in the various exemplary embodiments will be represented by the same reference numeral . the optical fiber 38 must be rigid enough to maintain the proper distance between the anode 12 and the second display plate 24 . fig4 shows the second display plate 24 ( cathode plate ), including a substrate 42 , a cathode metal layer 44 , a resistive ballast layer 46 , a dielectric layer 48 , a gate metal layer 50 , and emitters 52 . the emitters 52 may comprise any type of electron emitter , such as spindt tip and carbon nanotubes . though a single carbon nanotube 52 is shown , a plurality of carbon nanotubes for each carbon nanotube 52 shown would be typical . it is also possible to have several spacers share one common led uv emitter . in this configuration , the light fibers are bent accordingly to reach the shared light source . alternatively , additional light guides can also be used to guide light to the ends of straight spacers . a third exemplary embodiment shown in fig5 includes a layer 54 of cathodoluminescent material disposed on the aluminum layer 32 . the material in layer 54 emits photons , preferably in the ultraviolet range of wavelengths which impact the dielectric material of , for example , the spacer 22 . the electrons from the emitters excite photons in the layer 54 , but continue through the layer 54 to also strike the cathodoluminescent material 18 . note that some electron emitters 53 may be positioned near the spacer 22 for causing photons to be emitted from the layer 54 without being associated with a pixel 16 . it should be noted that in this embodiment , the spacers are not necessarily transparent . yet another exemplary embodiment is shown in fig6 and includes pixels 16 as in the previous exemplary embodiment having three phosphors 18 disposed within the black matrix material 26 and having electron emitters 52 associated with each of the phosphors 18 . a metal layer 32 is disposed covering the black matrix material 26 and the phosphors 18 . additional phosphors 62 , disposed within the black matrix material 26 and preferably near the dielectric material ( spacers 22 ), have additional electron emitters 64 associated therewith . the phosphors 62 contain a material that emits photons , preferably in the ultraviolet spectrum for neutralizing the charge on the spacers 22 , when impacted by electrons from the electron emitters 64 . it should be noted that in this embodiment the spacers are not necessarily transparent . while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description , it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist . it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the invention in any way . rather , the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention , it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims .