This article proposes two new types of vacuum microelectronic (VME) pressure sensors, in which a "stepped cathode" or a "curved cathode" is used instead of the conventional cathode. The principle and structure of the new sensors are described. The properties of the conventional VME pressure sensor and the novel sensors have been theoretically investigated and compared by computer simulations, and the results are shown in several plots. It is seen that, at the same anode voltage and for the same anode deformation, the novel cathodes produce emission currents more than an order of magnitude higher than the conventional cathode. The obvious advantages are that larger currents are easier to detect and less affected by noise. Furthermore, the novel cathodes can increase the sensitivity of the sensors, improve the linearity of output signals, and enlarge the sensors＇ measurement range. It has been shown that the "curved cathode＇＇ is an ideal model but it may be difficult to realize in practice at the present stage. The ＇＇stepped cathode＇＇ can be realized and has been fabricated by the author. The fabrication of the novel stepped cathode emission array and the anode pressure sensing film is briefly reported, and the scanning electron microscopy photographs are shown.