Frequently Asked Questions

5D Optical Data Storage uses a fused-quartz platter in which data is written as nanoscale structures (voxels) using femtosecond laser pulses. “5D” refers to the three spatial coordinates of each voxel plus two optical properties — the strength (retardance) and orientation (azimuth) of its birefringence — all of which encode information.

Accelerated thermal aging studies project effectively unlimited lifetime at room temperature — measured in billions of years. The medium withstands temperatures up to 1,000 °C, radiation, EMP, water and magnetic fields.

With magnified polarization imaging and machine-learning decoding: whole fields of voxels are imaged at once and translated back into bits – true random access, under 15 seconds to first byte robotic library scheduled for 2031. Because readout is optical and non-contact, the medium never wears from reading.

The theoretical maximum capacity is 360 TB per 5-inch (12.7 cm) fused-silica platter, with data recorded in multiple layers throughout the glass. Our commercial development target for 2031 is 250 TB per platter for use in hyperscale data-centre storage systems, subject to technical validation and industrial qualification. These figures describe theoretical capacity and future targets, not currently available product capacity.

FemtoEtch™ is SPhotonix’s proprietary femtosecond laser direct-writing platform. It creates precisely controlled nanoscale structural modifications inside transparent materials such as fused silica. By controlling where and how these structures form, we engineer local optical properties to encode data or manufacture precision optical components.

Yes. First commercial orders started in September 2024: data is written and read at the Swiss flagship facility, with secure logistics and optional managed storage. Data storage service available through 5D Memory Crystal website.

Fused quartz withstands temperatures up to 1,000 °C, direct impact, ionising radiation, EMP, water and magnetic fields — which is why the medium has already flown to orbit aboard SpaceX missions.

Write-once quartz is tamper-evident by physics rather than policy: once voxels are written they cannot be silently altered, making it ideal for compliance, legal and blockchain-checkpoint records.

Beyond storage, FemtoEtch™ fabricates nanostructured fused-silica optics — polarization converters, waveplates, vortex plates, polarization scramblers and DIC (Wollaston, Nomarski and X) prisms for microscopy, metrology, micromachining and laser fusion.