New, hybrid vacuum electron devices are proposed, in which the electrons
are extracted from the nanotube into vacuum. Each nanotube is either
placed on the cathode electrode individually or grown normally to the
cathode plane. Arrays of the nanotubes are also considered to multiply
the output current. Two- and three-terminal device configurations are
discussed. In all the cases considered, the device designs are such that
both input and output capacitances are extremely low, while the
efficiency of the electron extraction into vacuum is very high, so that
the estimated operational frequencies are expected to be in a tera-hertz
range. New vacuum triode structure with ballistic electron propagation
along the nanotube is also considered.