US Patent 8232722 - Nanocrystal LED with reduced radiative loss

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8232722.html

This patent from MIT teaches using nanocrystals to form an LED structure including a lightly doped layer to improve the efficiency of photon generation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A light emitting device comprising:

a first charge transporting layer including a first inorganic material in contact with a first electrode arranged to introduce charge in the first charge transporting layer;

a second electrode;

a plurality of colloidally-grown semiconductor nanocrystals disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; and

a lightly doped layer proximal to the nanocrystals, wherein the lightly doped layer is doped in an amount effective to minimize non-radiative losses due to exciton quenching by unbound charge carriers in the transporting layer.

US Patent 8174181 - Quantum dot LEDs

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8174181.html

This patent from Philips Lumileds Lighting and M.I.T. has priority going back to 1998 and includes some basic claims for white and colored LEDs using quantum dots. Claim 1 reads:

1. A light emitting device comprising:

a primary light source; and

at least one layer in optical communication with the primary light source,

wherein the at least one layer comprises a matrix including a plurality of quantum dots having a polydisperse size distribution and adapted to convert primary light emitted by the primary light source to secondary light,

wherein the secondary light comprises a mixed color of light or white light.                             

US Patent 8121162 - Nanocrystal laser

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8121162.html

This patent from MIT has priority going back to 2001 and includes some broad claims to forming a laser using nanocrystals. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of forming a laser comprising:

selecting a semiconductor nanocrystal having a diameter and a composition; and

placing the semiconductor nanocrystal on a grating arranged to provide feedback.

US Patent 7923109 - Inorganic nanowire with organic scaffold

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7923109.html

This patent is based on a collaboration between the University of Texas and M.I.T. and includes some basic claims toward integrating organic matter with semiconductor nanowires. Claim 1 reads:

1. An inorganic nanowire comprising fused inorganic nanoparticles in contact with a biological scaffold, wherein the biological scaffold is a virus, a virion, or a virial subunit including capsids, or combinations thereof.

US Patent 7181266 - Lymphatic imaging using nanoparticles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7181266.pdf

This patent from M.I.T. seems to lay claim to a fundamental usage of quantum dots in imaging the lymphatic system. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of imaging a lymphatic system of an animal comprising: introducing at an injection site a composition subcutaneously in the animal, the composition including a particle including a semiconductor nanocrystal; exciting the particle with an excitation light source; and detecting emission from the particle.