World’s Smallest QR Code

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Science & Technology

Why in News?

Recently, researchers from TU Wien and start-up Cerabyte created the world’s smallest QR code, earning a Guinness World Records title

QR code – A quick response (QR) code is a type of barcode that can be scanned by a digital device and stores information as a series of pixels in a square-shaped grid.
Types of QR Codes – Micro QR Code – Smaller than normal QR codes; used where space is limited (e.g., small products).
Smallest size – 11 × 11 modules that store up to 21 characters.
Model 1 QR Code – Early version (prototype) of QR codes.Stores up to 1,167 numbers.
Model 2 QR Code – Improved and most commonly used version today.
Has better alignment and higher data capacity.
Can store up to 7,089 numbers (Version 40).
iQR Code – Can be square or rectangular.
Useful when shape or space is a constraint.
SQRC (Secure QR Code) – Has a restricted access feature.
Used for storing private or confidential information.
Frame QR Code – Comes with a customizable frame.
Can include images, logos, or illustrations along with data.
Uses – In various applications, from supply chain management to digital payments to cryptocurrency wallet addresses.

World’s Smallest QR Code

Size – Around 2 square micrometres (smaller than a bacterium).
- Nearly one-third the size of the previous record holder.
Objective – To tackle “Data Rot” as the present storage devices (hard drives, magnetic tapes) last only 10–30 years.
Require continuous power, cooling, and data transfer to new systems.
Risk of long-term digital data loss.
Features – Grid size – 29 × 29 pixels.
Each pixel – 49 nanometres, which is smaller than the wavelength of visible light.
Material used – 15 nm chromium nitride (ceramic coating).
Technique – Focused Ion Beam (FIB) milling (atom-level carving).
Verification – Using a Scanning Electron Microscope.
Ceramic-Based Data Storage – Highly durable, heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant, and chemically inert.
One A4-sized ceramic sheet can store over 2 TB of data.
Information density – 130 bits per square micrometre.
Data is etched physically; hence no power is needed for preservation and can potentially last for millennia.

Reference

TH | World’s Smallest QR Code