A brief history Vacuum Nanoelectronics, the IVNC, and the present status of the Spindt cathode

The notion of applying microfabrication technology to vacuum devices originated at MIT in the 1950´s. At the end of the decade the technology migrated to the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI Int´l), and developed over subsequent years to a technology that captured worldwide interest by the 1980´s. This interest led to first International Vacuum Microelectronics Conference (IVMC), held in Williamsburg VA in 1988. The conference (now the IVNC has been held annually ever since, with the 25^th meeting being held in Jeju, Korea in 2012.