L3-DVT-5DQ-DISC
CRITICAL
PRESERVATION
Level 3 · hardware
5D Quartz Storage Disc
Fused-Silica 5D Optical Disc with Nanostructure Encoding
Fused-silica 5D optical discs (5" diameter) storing 360 TB each via femtosecond-laser-written nanostructures, projected stable for >13.8 billion years.
Purpose
Fused-silica 5D optical discs (5" diameter) storing 360 TB each via femtosecond-laser-written nanostructures, projected stable for >13.8 billion years.
Context
Child of L2-DVT-5DQ within the Lunar Ark system
Principles
- ▸Femtosecond laser writes nanostructure dots in 3D silica volume
- ▸Each dot encodes 3 bits (orientation, position) and intensity
- ▸5 dimensions: x, y, z, intensity, polarization
- ▸Storage 360 TB per 5-inch disc (SPhotonix 2024)
- ▸Stable across full lunar thermal range (silica)
Typical implementations
- ▸University of Southampton 5D optical storage research
- ▸Microsoft Project Silica
- ▸SPhotonix commercialization (2024)
- ▸Memory of Mankind Archive (human genome on 5D disc)
Lunar considerations
- ▸Silica chemically inert and radiation-stable for billions of years
- ▸Lunar thermal range well within material limits
- ▸Discs stored in inert atmosphere preserve write quality
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Fused-silica 5D optical discs (5" diameter) storing 360 TB each via femtosecond-laser-written nanostructures, projected stable for >13.8 billion years. |
| capacity tb per disc | 360 |
| expected life years | 13800000000.0 |
Physical
| mass kg | 0.2 |
| materials | Synthetic fused silica disc, Vacuum-deposited reference marks |
| vacuum compatibility | True |
Operational
| power consumption w | 0 |
| thermal range c | -40, 70 |
| lifetime years | 100 |
| mtbf hours | 1000000000 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Stored data accessible for reading
Requires
- Initial write operation
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "5D Quartz Storage Disc" (L3-DVT-5DQ-DISC). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-DVT-5DQ-DISC
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.