Quantum dot light emitting device

1. An inorganic light emitting device comprising: a transparent substrate; a first electrode; a second electrode opposed to the first electrode; a polycrystalline inorganic light emitting layer comprising core/shell quantum dots, without organic ligands, wherein the shells completely surround each of the cores of the core/shell quantum dots such that the shell that belongs to each core completely surrounds the core and wherein the core and shell materials are selected such that the valence and conduction band levels largely confine the core holes and electrons to the core region of the quantum dot and wherein each core/shell quantum dots is greater than 2 nanometers in diameter, within a conductive inorganic semiconductor matrix composed of fused inorganic nanoparticles, wherein the inorganic nanoparticles have a different composition from that of the core/shell quantum dots, are less than 2 nanometers in diameter, and there is at least a 2:1 ratio of inorganic nanoparticles to core/shell quantum dots, and, wherein the first electrode is transparent and formed on the transparent substrate, the polycrystalline inorganic light emitting layer is formed over the first electrode, and the second electrode is formed over the light emitting layer.

2. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is reflective.

3. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is transparent.

4. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 1 wherein the device is a display backlight, multi-color display, full color display, monochrome display or lamp.

5. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 1 wherein the light emitted by the light emitting layer is white light.

6. An inorganic light emitting device comprising: a substrate; a first electrode; a second electrode opposed to the first electrode; a polycrystalline inorganic light emitting layer comprising core/shell quantum dots, wherein the shells completely surround each of the cores of the core/shell quantum dots such that the shell that belongs to each core completely surrounds the core and wherein the core and shell materials are selected such that the valence and conduction band levels largely confine the core holes and electrons to the core region of the quantum dot, and wherein each core/shell quantum dots is greater than 2 nanometers in diameter, without organic ligands, within a conductive inorganic semiconductor matrix composed of fused inorganic nanoparticles, wherein the inorganic nanoparticles have a different composition from that of the core/shell quantum dots, are less than 2 nanometers in diameter, and there is at least a 2:1 ratio of inorganic nanoparticles to core/shell quantum dots, and, wherein the first electrode is reflective and formed on the substrate, the polycrystalline inorganic light emitting layer is formed over the first electrode, and the second electrode is formed over the light emitting layer and is transparent.

7. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 6 wherein the device is a display backlight, multi-color display, full color display, monochrome display or lamp.

8. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 6 wherein the light emitted by the light emitting layer is white light.

9. An inorganic light emitting device including a plurality of independently controlled light emitting elements, wherein at least one light emitting element comprises: a first patterned electrode; a second electrode opposed to the first electrode; and a polycrystalline inorganic light emitting layer comprising core/shell quantum dots, wherein the shells completely surround each of the cores of the core/shell quantum dots such that the shell that belongs to each core completely surrounds the core and wherein the core and shell materials are selected such that the valence and conduction band levels largely confine the core holes and electrons to the core region of the quantum dot, and wherein each core/shell quantum dots is greater than 2 nanometers in diameter, without organic ligands, within a conductive semiconductor matrix composed of fused inorganic nanoparticles, wherein the inorganic nanoparticles have a different composition from that of the core/shell quantum dots, are less than 2 nanometers in diameter, and there is at least a 2:1 ratio of inorganic nanoparticles to core/shell quantum dots, formed between the electrodes.

10. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 9 , wherein the patterned first electrodes are independently controlled by thin film electronic components formed on a substrate or a driver circuit formed externally to the substrate.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the thin film electronic components are composed of crystalline, polycrystalline or amorphous semiconductor materials.

12. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 9 wherein the independently controlled light emitting elements emit light of different colors.

13. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 9 wherein the device is a display backlight, multi-color display, full color display, monochrome display or lighting device.

14. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 9 wherein the light emitted by the light emitting layer is white light.

15. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 9 , wherein the core/shell quantum dots of each light emitting element have an emission wavelength selected from an ultraviolet, blue, cyan, green, yellow, magenta, red, or infrared emission wavelength, or a combination thereof.

16. The inorganic light emitting device of claim 9 wherein the polycrystalline inorganic light emitting layer is formed from an annealed film of a colloidal dispersion of core/shell quantum dots and semiconductor matrix nanoparticles.

17. A method of making an inorganic light emitting device comprising:

(a) providing a substrate;

(b) forming a patterned first electrode on the substrate;

(c) forming a polycrystalline inorganic light emitting layer comprising core/shell quantum dots, wherein the shells completely surround each of the cores of the core/shell quantum dots such that the shell that belongs to each core completely surrounds the core and wherein the core and shell materials are selected such that the valence and conduction band levels largely confine the core holes and electrons to the core region of the quantum dot, and wherein each core/shell quantum dots is greater than 2 nanometers in diameter, without organic ligands, within a conductive inorganic semiconductor matrix composed of fused inorganic nanoparticles, wherein the inorganic nanoparticles have a different composition from that of the core/shell quantum dots, are less than 2 nanometers in diameter., and there is at least a 2:1 ratio of inorganic nanoparticles to core/shell quantum dots, over the patterned first electrode; and

(d) forming a second electrode opposed to the first electrode over the inorganic light emitting layer.

18. The method of claim 17 where in step c further comprises:

(i) providing a colloidal dispersion of the core/shell quantum dots and semiconductor matrix nanoparticles;

(ii) depositing the colloidal dispersion to form a film; and

(iii) annealing the film to form the polycrystalline inorganic light emitting layer.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising forming thin film electronic components over the substrate for driving the polycrystalline inorganic light emitting layer.