How long till this becomes a reality:
Production
Data crystals can be made from existing crystal or from synthesized material. Most common are synthesized crystals. Synthesized crystals, once finished, are harder than diamond and have extreme heat and cold resistance. Any of today's data crystals could be left in nearly any environment and recovered centuries later, working just as well as day one.
Synth data crystals can be produced in one of two ways.
Sheets of synthesized crystal can be manufactured to as small as a micron width. These sheets are very fragile and easily crushed, and therefore must be handled in Zero-G environments. The sheets are embossed by laser in molecular-level, complex patterns and then "folded" upon themselves and hardened to make a data crystal.
Another method is to synthesize a flawless crystal and use lasers and micro-gravimetric manipulators to encrypt the crystal from the outside.
The Minbari a known for having the most advanced data crystals of the younger races, in part due to their world having such an abundance of crystal.
How it Works
Crystal-ports on computers use refracted light and lasers to access the information. All information is taken off the crystal in a mathematical form, allowing it to be accessed by any well-programmed device with the proper clearances. The computer translates these formulas into images and sounds.
Capacity
Most high-end data crystals have a capacity of 500,000 terabytes and transfer-rate of 50 gigabytes per millisecond.
Allowing for enormous files, and very quick transfer. This large capacity also allows for advanced encryption for security or holographic imaging.
