CAMBRIDGE, England, Feb. 9 -- Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) has joined forces with Ilford Imaging Switzerland GmbH in a project the companies say will pave the way for more optically efficient display devices. All displays produce more light than is actually seen by the user, due to internal losses in the display itself. By increasing the proportion of observed light (the 'optical efficiency'), display devices can be made brighter for a given energy input, or energy consumption can be reduced for a given brightness. This is especially valuable where power efficiency is critical, such as in mobile devices such as phones and PDAs. Iford, a manufacturer of precision coated, inkjet printing consumables, has discovered that certain nanoporous structures have potentially valuable properties when applied to polymer light-emitting diode (PLED) displays. The new materials, when integrated into a display device, have optical properties that help to transmit light which would otherwise be trapped and lost. The project, which will complete its initial proof-of-principle phase by the end of the first quarter of 2005, is designed to evaluate and quantify the performance advantages that may be available from this novel approach. Work is taking place at CDT's Technology Development Centre near Cambridge, England, to develop and prepare PLED technology for commercialization. For more information, visit: www.cdtltd.co.uk