We report optically modulated electron emission from gated p-type silicon field emitter arrays (Si-FEAs). The device's "volcano" structure is designed to control the photoexcitation of electrons by transmitting light through the small gate aperture, thereby minimizing the photogeneration of slow diffusion carriers outside the depletion region in the tip. Compared to that in the dark, the emission current was enhanced by more than three orders of magnitude in the high field region when irradiated with blue laser pulses. Results from the time-resolved measurements of photoassisted electron emission showed that these possess the same response as the laser pulse with no discernible delay. These results indicate that the volcano device structure is effective at eliminating the generation of diffusion carriers and that a fully optimized FEA is promising as a photocathode for producing high-speed modulated electron beams. Published by AIP Publishing.