A method is provided for forming an electroluminescent device. The method comprises: providing a type IV semiconductor material substrate; forming a p+/n+ junction in the substrate, typically a plurality of interleaved p+/n+ junctions are formed; and, forming an electroluminescent layer overlying the p+/n+ junction(s) in the substrate. The type IV semiconductor material substrate can be Si, C, Ge, SiGe, or SiC. For example, the substrate can be Si on insulator (SOI), bulk Si, Si on glass, or Si on plastic. The electroluminescent layer can be a material such as nanocrystalline Si, nanocrystalline Ge, fluorescent polymers, or type II VI materials such as ZnO, ZnS, ZnSe, CdSe, and CdS. In some aspect, the method further comprises forming an insulator film interposed between the substrate and the electroluminescent layer. In another aspect, the method comprises forming a conductive electrode overlying the electroluminescent layer.