Smallest QR code

The smallest QR code is 1.977 μm² and was achieved by Balint Hajas (Hungary), Erwin Peck, Alexander Kirnbauer, Paul Heinz Mayrhofer, Christian Pflaum, Martin Kunze, and Thomas Schachinger (all Austria), in Wien, Austria, on 3 December 2025.

This record was achieved by researchers from TU Wien in collaboration with Cerabyte GmbH. The QR code was created by cutting a chromium nitride thin film using a focused ion beam and measured an area of 1.977 square micrometres. The code was successfully scanned and its size independently verified using calibrated scanning electron microscopy at the University of Vienna. The achievement forms part of ongoing research into increasing data density through advanced thin-film materials.