Isolinear chip
The Starfleet-issued isolinear optical chip is a small, flat, rectangular unit featuring onboard nanotech processors to aid in memory access and with a maximum memory capacity of 2.15 kiloquads. They are the primary software and data storage medium used by the Federation, replacing the older and much slower (in computer speed anyway) crystal memory cards. They make use of a single-axis optical crystal layering to achieve subwavelength switching distances. Though normally easily corrupted, chips may be coated with a layer of clear plastic for protection in environments more hostile than a computer core without affecting read and write capabilities; such ruggedized chips are commonly used in tricorders, PADDs, and other handheld devices with isolinear chip drives.
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