Quantum Dots Could Make Dark, Grainy Cellphone Pictures a Thing of the Past

Posted 04/11/2010 at 6:31pm | by Justin Kerr

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They always say the best camera is the one you have with you, but if you're like me, then you probably have more than one camera phone shot that probably wasn't even worth the effort. Low light images taken with small sensors often come out dull and granny if you're lucky, but more often the picture serves as a reminder that the pinhole camera you used wasn't really up to the task. The bigger the camera the better the picture seemed to always be the rule of thumb, but a little known technology called Quantum Dots could challenge this theory.

Manufacturer InVisage explains that the quantum dots used in its technology are actually tiny semiconducting crystals and are able to absorb various colors thanks to a "doppelganger trick". If the technology lives up to its promise, it means smaller cameras will be able to capture more light then they do currently, vastly improving the quality of low light shots. "Placing the quantum dots on top of the electronics means more pixels can be crammed into a given area and less incoming light is lost. Moreover, photodetectors based on quantum dots produce less noisy images, so the picture is sharper even if the number of pixels is not increased."

No products have been announced, and sure this is all still just scientific theory, but I think batteries and cameras are two technologies that everyone is hoping will get better and smaller in the next few years. Intel can make a million transistors dance on the head of a pin, but my Blackberry still can't take a picture outdoors after 5 PM, go figure.