Fujitsu and Sony Develop World's First 1.3GB 3.5-Inch MO Disk System Prototype

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Fujitsu Limited Sony Corporation

Fujitsu and Sony Develop World's First 1.3GB 3.5-inch MO Disk System Prototype

- New "GIGAMO" high-capacity MO standard is backward compatible -

Tokyo, November 5, 1998 -- Fujitsu Limited and Sony Corporation today announced the development of the world's first 1.3GB (gigabyte) 3.5-inch magneto-optical (MO) disk system prototype, setting a new gigabyte-class MO standard which they have named "GIGAMO". The new MO disk system is also the world's first to implement Magnetically Induced Super Resolution (MSR) technology, which enables reading of extremely minute magnetic marks beyond optical resolution limits.

Demand for high-capacity removable storage is rising with the emergence of fast-processing PCs and growing volume of graphics and image data. Since the introduction of 128 MB-capacity MO products in 1991, 3.5-inch MO disk drives have become popular, and are now available in 230MB, and 540MB/640MB versions. Total worldwide sales of 3.5-inch MO disk drives have reached 5 million units.

Based on the specifications outlined in their new GIGAMO standard, both companies will continue development efforts to commercialize new products. Fujitsu will focus on the MO drives and Sony will concentrate on the media side of the business. Also, device manufacturers, such as Olympus and Konica, and media makers like Kyocera, Teijin, Toso, Hitachi- Maxell, Mitsubishi Chemical and Philips/PDO, have all agreed to support the new GIGAMO standard.

Prototype MO Drive System Specification

Large 1.3GB capacity and a high data transfer rate of 5.92MB (megabytes) per ·second: By adopting MSR technology, linear recording density and track density are increased without modifying the optical head, and the disk drive has a 1.3GB capacity -- about twice that of a CD-ROM. With a high data transfer rate of 5.92MB per second, it is easy to handle large-capacity data files containing either still or moving images. still or moving images.

Read and write compatibility with existing 3.5-inch MO disk systems: ·Because it allows higher density without changing the optical head, the new product is backward compatible with existing 3.5-inch MO disks. New MO drives based on this system allow users to read and write to existing 3.5-inch MO disks with various capacities. (128MB, 230MB, 540MB/640MB)

High reliability: ·Like existing MO systems, the new system uses both a non-contact head and a magnetic head, which allows high-capacity performance while maintaining high reliability. The optimally designed multi-layer magnetic film offers not only reliable storage but also durability during repeated playback and rewriting, providing the same level of performance as existing systems.

MSR (Magnetically induced Super Resolution) technology ·It is the first practical application of the MSR technology, which achieves the high storage capacity of 1.3GB. MSR technology is not susceptible to optical factors affecting beam diameter during playback. Using temperature distribution and magnetism, it minimizes the optical effective beam spot, creating a beam spot smaller than can be achieved by using optical technology alone. MSR is a magneto-optical data storage and playback technology based on a high-resolution technology called IRISTER (IRIS Thermal Eclipse Reading), which Sony developed in 1991. A major issue for practical application, playback magnetic field intensity, was solved through the adoption of a double masking formula proposed by Fujitsu, leading to success in development of the new MO system.

GIGAMO Standard Specification

The physical dimensions of the disk and cartridge case for this standard are identical with those required by the current ISO/IEC standards, and they retain compatibility with existing media.

ITEM ISO/IEC 15041 STANDARD GIGAMO Cartridge size 90mm x 94mm x 6mm same Disk diameter 86mm same Storage capacity/cartridge 540MB and 640MB 1.3GB Sector size 512 and 2048 Bytes 2048 Bytes Track pitch 1.10 micrometers 0.90 micrometers Bit length (magnetic) 0.49 micrometers 0.29 micrometers Linear bit density ID 3125 channel bits/mm 2634 channel bits/mm Linear bit density MO 3125 channel bits/mm 5268 channel bits/mm Storage starting position inner diameter outer diameter Note: The difference of linear bit density between ID block and MO block is due to the different methods of recording. ID block is recorded in the same method as conventional CDs with physical patterns etched on the substrate. Therefore, no MSR effect is expected and resulting in lower density.

* All company / product names mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are used for identification purpose only.

Fujitsu Limited

Fujitsu Limited is a leading provider of information technology products and solutions for the global marketplace. Founded in Japan in 1935 as a telephone equipment maker, the Fujitsu Group had consolidated revenues of $37.7 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31,1998.

With over 500 group companies, including Amdahl and ICL, Fujitsu is one of the world's largest suppliers of computers and information systems solutions, telecommunications and semiconductor products, software and services. The Fujitsu Group has over 180,000 employees worldwide and operations in more than 100 countries. Homepage: http://www.fujitsu.co.jp/index-e.html

Sony Corporation

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, pictures and computer entertainment operations make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $51 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998, and it employs 173,000 people worldwide.

Press Contacts: Customer Contact:

Kazutaka Saito, Scott Ikeda, Bob Pomeroy Fujitsu Limited, Sales Department Fujitsu Limited, Public Relations Storage Products, Computer Products Business Tel: +81-3-3215-5236 (Tokyo) International Computer Business Fax: +81-3-3216-9365 Tel: +81-44-540-4055 e-mail: [email protected] Fax: +81-44-540-4123 e-mail: [email protected] Tetsuo Kanno, Aki Shimazu http://www.fujitsu.co.jp/hypertext/aboutmo/index_e.html Sony Corporation, Corporate Communications, International PR Group Tel: +81-3-5448-6800 email: [email protected] [email protected]