QR code smaller than bacteria created by Viennese programmers

The QR code occupies only 1.977 square micrometers. This is smaller than some bacteria. It was created at the Vienna Technical University. On December 3, 2025, he entered the Guinness Book of Records.

The QR code created by Viennese programmers and a scientist is three times smaller than the previous world record holder, writes xrust. The researchers from the Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien) were led by scientists working in collaboration with storage technology company Cerabyte.

The developers reported that the created structure is so thin that it cannot be seen using optical microscopes. True, this is not considered unusual in the micrometer world. After all, there you can create “patterns” from individual atoms. However, this alone is not enough to produce stable, readable code.

The key to creating such a small QR code was applying it to a thin ceramic film designed to coat high-performance cutting tools. By shining ion beams at this material, the team cut out a QR code with pixels as small as 49 nanometers.

The team behind the QR code now hopes to create other miniature ceramic storage media that are highly durable and can have a lower environmental impact than existing storage options.

Xrust QR code smaller than bacteria was created by Viennese programmers