Features - Storage Innovations:

EV GROUP, KOMAG COLLABORATE ON NANOIMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY APP

EV Group (EVG), a manufacturer of nanoimprinting, MEMS and semiconductor wafer-processing equipment, said that it has signed an agreement with Komag Inc to develop, license and sell the world's first high-volume nanoimprint lithography (NIL) application for mass data storage.

Based in San Jose, Calif., Komag is an independent supplier of thin-film disks, the primary high-capacity storage medium for digital data in computers and consumer appliances. The company pioneered the development of a proof-of-principle discrete track recording (DTR) patterned magnetic disk, a technology that utilizes NIL. DTR disks feature a cost-effective means of magnetically isolating individual data tracks. They are expected to result in significant advances in disk capacities beyond 160GB per disk for both standard longitudinal magnetic recording (LMR) media and Komag's proprietary perpendicular magnetic recording media (PMR).

"Our companies are sharing resources and expertise to develop and apply EV Group's leadership in NIL and hot-embossing capabilities for volume production of Komag's DTR-patterned magnetic disks," said Peter Podesser, chief executive officer of EV Group. "This development also marks a milestone for nanoimprinting history by implementing this technology in a first high-volume application. This strengthens EV Group's leadership position as equipment supplier for the emerging nanoimprinting industry."

Under the agreement, EV Group and Komag will jointly develop, license and sell a high-volume production hot embosser for data storage based on the new, fully automated EVG570PMI hot embossing system. The EVG570PMI is a low cost and flexible fabrication tool for the aligned double-side imprinting of patterned media.

"By developing a unique process technology with this high-throughput and cost-effective manufacturing tool, Komag has once again demonstrated technology leadership in the mass data storage industry," said T.H. Tan, Komag's chief executive officer. "Komag has made it clear that we plan to license DTR technology to other disk manufacturers to ensure that its proven cost and performance benefits reach a wide audience. This development, license and sales agreement with EV Group will facilitate dual-vendor sourcing of disks for our customers, and bring DTR to the market more quickly."