Overview
- Researchers at Vienna University of Technology etched a 1.98 square micrometre QR code into a ceramic thin film using beams of charged particles.
- Guinness World Records confirmed it as the smallest working QR code, and the pattern links to the university’s website.
- The code is too fine for optical microscopes and can be read only with an electron microscope, the team said.
- The thin-film ceramic, similar to tool-coating materials, holds up under harsh conditions and keeps data without any power.
- The team plans to speed up writing, test other materials, scale manufacturing, and move beyond simple QR codes, with estimates of more than two terabytes fitting on an A4-size area if the approach scales.