A minute, record-breaking flag created by The Institute for Quantum Computing in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada might only be view-able with an electron microscope, but it's an achievement that has been recognised on a global scale.

The tiny structure, which has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the Smallest national flag, measures less than the width of a single human hair, at just 0.697 square micrometers.





The iconic Maple leaf emblem was made on a silicon wafer using a UV Photolithography system in the institute's Quantam NanoFab facility.

With a very methodical and scientific process, color was added to the final result by oxidizing the wafer in a tube furnace.

This allows for a layer of Silicon dioxide to form, which eventually turns the flag into a red hue.





Officials from the Institute for Quantum Computing are thrilled to have earned this impressively small title.

Associate director of communications and strategic initiatives at IQC, Tobi Day-Hamilton told media: “The future of Canadian technology is firmly set in the quantum world and at the nano-scale, so what better way to celebrate the lead up to 2017 than with a record-breaking, nano-scale national flag.”





Created as an effort to promote quantum research, the flag will be on display in QUANTUM: The Exhibition, organised by a Canadian science-outreach organisation for the remainder of the month.

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