InVisage, a California-based technology research firm, has said a film made from these tiny semiconductor particles is more light-sensitive than sensors currently in digital cameras.
Unlike silicon-based sensors, the quantum dots will not throw away as much light as their predecessors.
The company's chief executive Jess Lee said silicon-based sensors, used in the current crop of digital cameras, are increasingly difficult to develop using silicon, but it was "the only option" until now.
Furthermore, it claims that because it is so easy to incorporate the new technology into manufacturing, InVisage expects the sensor to be in camera production by mid-2011.
The company will unveil its new discovery at the Demo conference in Califronia, which runs until March 23rd.
