Researchers at the Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien), working with the data-storage company Cerabyte, have created the world’s smallest QR code, measuring only 1.98 square micrometers. The structure is so tiny that it cannot be seen with the naked eye or even with a standard optical microscope; it can only be detected using an electron microscope. The code was etched into an ultra-thin ceramic layer using focused ion beams, producing individual pixels about 49 nanometers wide, roughly ten times smaller than the wavelength of visible light.
Beyond its novelty, the breakthrough demonstrates a potential method for extremely dense and durable data storage. Ceramic materials used in the experiment are highly stable and resistant to environmental damage, meaning information written in them could remain readable for centuries or even millennia without needing electricity or cooling. Researchers suggest that technologies based on this approach could enable ultra-long-term archival storage, possibly allowing enormous amounts of data to be preserved on very small surfaces.
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