International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association July/August 2000

insideinsidewhat’s The Past May Be Prologue or History 6 May Be Bunk: Reflections on a Perilous 6 Quarter

Study of Extremely High-Density 1212 Recording for Disk Drives Recording Data at 40–100 Gbits/in2

DISKCON USA Technical Conference 1616 Sessions Precision Cleaning Process and 3434 Equipment Technology Enabling Continuous Cost Reduction for HDD Manufacturers VEECO Equipment Ad departments 6 Marketplace 8 Larry Storage News

24 Volunteer Spotlight

28 IDEMA President, Larry Eischen Standards Update It will not be very long until the world’s largest 30 technical conference and tradeshow dedicated to the Membership Update data storage industry will arrive in San Jose. Of course ® 41 I’m referring to DISKCON USA, held during the week Industry Calendar of Sept. 18th through the 21st at the San Jose Convention Center in the heart of Silicon Valley. Having 44 recently presented DISKCON events in Singapore and Committee Focus Tokyo, where both had increases from the previous year in the number of exhibitors, IDEMA 48 is already hard at work to make this year’s DISKCON USA the best show ever. Technical Education The key focus for member volunteers working on this year’s event has been enlarging the 50 IDEMA Japan scope and content of the technical conference. In response to the growing requirements of our member employees for more in-depth technology information, product directions, and business perspectives, the technical conference this year offers more sessions than ever before, all infused with fresh new energy. Loaded with richer and more varied content, this articles year’s technical conference will appeal to all of our member employees. Especially noteworthy is a session that provides highlights from the recent IEEE INTERMAG Toronto 6 conference held April 9–13, 2000. If you missed INTERMAG, or want to hear the latest from The Past May Be Prologue or History May Be Bunk: the industry’s foremost magnetic technology experts, then definitely attend this session. The Reflections on a Perilous implementation of sessions running concurrently will also give this year’s attendees the Quarter opportunity to choose from a variety of different sessions, and be able to participate in the ones that best fit their interests. Now the best is even better. I hope you can tell how very 12 excited we are about the upcoming technical conference—others talk about quality, we Study of Extremely High- deliver it. Density Recording for Disk Drives Recording Data at 40–100 Gbits/in2 DISKCON USA, a favorite of executives, leaders, and trendsetters worldwide, will also include all of the main events you’ve come to look forward to, including: 16 DISKCON USA Technical • The 5th annual Mark Geenen Technology for Youth Charity Golf Tournament on Monday. Conference Sessions • The Keynote Dinner on Tuesday evening, featuring Quantum Corporation Chairman and 34 CEO, Michael Brown (please note that this year’s dinner will be held at the Westin Hotel Precision Cleaning Process in Santa Clara). and Equipment Technology • The Exhibition on Wednesday and Thursday, with over 300 exhibitors already signed up. Enabling Continuous Cost Reduction for HDD Manu- • Sixteen different Technical Education Classes offered Monday through Thursday. facturers • Standards Workshops—open to anyone interested in storage standards—held Monday and Tuesday. upcoming features Advanced Materials for Actuators As you can see, DISKCON USA is shaping up to be a real “three-ring circus,” with something Ferroelectric Molecular special for everyone. Mark your calendars now to attend; find out why industry profession- Holographic Optical Storage Nanotechnology als continue to return year after year—you’ll like what you see. Keep an eye out for other information regarding DISKCON spread throughout this issue of INSIGHT; for full event on the cover details, visit the IDEMA website at www.idema.org. Our unending exploration to increase areal density involves creative process improvements. As one looks to the heavens for the answers, the only obvious conclusion can be...it’s all about space.

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 3 INSIGHT Editor IDEMA Staff—U.S. Board of Directors—U.S. Board of Directors—Japan Jeri Burdick, [email protected] President Chairman Chairman 408.330.8107 Larry Eischen Joel Weiss, Ph.D. Tsuneo Suganuma 408.330.8101 Seagate Recording Media Group Hitachi, Ltd. Creative Director Director, Education Vice Chairman/Treasurer Vice Chairman Chris Carrig, [email protected] Sally Bryant, Ed.D. John Kurtzweil Akira Kakehi 408.330.8110 408.330.8106 Read-Rite Corporation Fujitsu, Ltd. Secretary Vice Chairman Director, Services Osmund “Oz” Fundingsland Hiromi Kaminuma Communications Chair Debbie Lee OSF International Toshiba Corporation Wayne Fortun, 408.330.8108 Hutchinson Technology, Inc. Pantelis Alexopoulos, Ph.D. Auditor Administrative Assistant Maxtor Corporation Hideki Harada Adoracion Yanogacio HTA Communications Committee 408.330.8100 Chris H. Bajorek, Ph.D. Komag, Inc. Executive Director Larry Anderson, Komag , Inc. Administrative Coordinator Edward Braun Tatsuo Sugiura Chris Bajorek, Komag, Inc. Lisa Hood Veeco Instruments IDEMA Japan Jay Kimmal, HMT Technology 408.330.8103 Wayne M. Fortun Directors: Don Mounce, Gem City Creative Director/Webmaster Hutchinson Technology, Inc. Kunio Hatanaka Engineering Company Christine Carrig Kobe Steel, Ltd. 408.330.8110 Mark Geenen Don Perettie, ADMAT TRENDFOCUS, Inc. Yuichi Hyakusoku International INSIGHT Editor/Technical Mediken, Inc. Ed Grochowski, Ph.D. Writer IBM Almaden Research Center Youichi Ino Articles Jeri Burdick Anelva Corporation William Harry Article contributions are welcome 408.330.8107 Exclusive Design Company Shun Kaneko and are subject to editing by Finance/Office Manager Iomega Japan Corp. IDEMA. Trudy Gressley Dennis Hill LSI Logic Noboru Kubokawa 408.330.8105 Institute of Information Advertising Program Manager, Standards Brian Nixon Technology, Ltd. Quantum Corporation Advertising is offered to IDEMA Kristen Montan Mikio Matsuzaki corporate members only. Ad 408.330.8109 Don Perettie, Ph.D. TDK Corporation ADMAT International space is available for the Tradeshow Assistant Tadashi Shinohara Sep/Oct issue; ad close is Aug. Aisling Malone Norman H. Pond Hitachi Metals, Ltd. Intevac 5, with materials due Aug. 12. 408.492.1436 Isao Suzuki Editorial calendar and Tradeshow Coordinator James N. Porter HOYA Corporation DISK/TREND, Inc. advertising rates available at Beth McCullough Takaaki Takashima www.idema.org. 408.492.1436 Barry Rossum IBM Japan, Ltd. Acorn Technology Tradeshow Manager Akira Terada Subscription Barbara Alvarez, CMP Michael Russak Alps Electric Co., Ltd. INSIGHT is produced bimonthly. 408.492.1436 HMT Technology Tetsuo Tsuru For your free subscription (U.S. IDEMA Staff—Asia-Pacific John F. Schaefer Hitachi Electronics Engineering only), register online at Phase Metrics, Inc. Co., Ltd. Executive Director www.idema.org. Robert Selinger, Ph.D. Haruo Urai K.Y. Phua NEC Corporation 65.226.3412 Tsuneo Suganuma Hitachi, Ltd. Joel Weiss, Ph.D. Wendy Ang Management Committee— Seagate Recording Media Group Sharmini Pathman Hideaki Yamazaki INSIGHT is a free, bimonthly Asia-Pacific Jean Tan Spider Systems of Japan, Inc. association magazine, published by Herbert Ang the International Disk Drive IDEMA Staff—Japan 3M Singapore Nobuaki Yoshioka Equipment and Materials Association NEC Corporation Gary Davis Executive Director (IDEMA). The goal of INSIGHT is to Davis Consultants Asia inform IDEMA members, and industry Tatsuo Sugiura IDEMA—U.S. professionals worldwide, about 81.3.3539.7071 Adam Giandomenico Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions emerging technologies, and Finance/Standards 3255 Scott Blvd., Suite 2-102 upcoming IDEMA trade events, as Akiko Yamamoto Gaylord Ho Santa Clara, CA 95054-3013 well as educational opportunities. Vector Magnetics Pte. Ltd. Phone: 408.330.8100 INSIGHT is read by more than Editor/Seminar Fax: 408.492.1425 Naoko Miura S.C. Lee 24,000 engineers, scientists, and Maxtor Peripherals (S) Pte. Ltd. technical managers worldwide. IDEMA—Asia-Pacific Teh-Bong Lim MMI Holdings Ltd. 53B Temple Street Singapore 058598 C.T. Low Phone: 65.226.3412 Halo Data Devices Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. IDEMA and Fax: 65.226.3413 Tom McDorman DISKCON are registered trademarks Western Digital of the International Disk Drive IDEMA—Japan K.Y. Phua Equipment and Materials Association. Wataru Building, 6th Floor IDEMA Asia-Pacific Other product names or brands used 2-11-9, Nishi Shinbashi in this publication are for identifica- Henry “Hank” Pselos Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0003 Japan tion purposes only and may be Xyratex Pte. Ltd. Phone: 81.3.3539.7071 trademarks of their respective Chang Faa Shoon Fax: 81.3.3539.7072 companies. Seagate Technology Kelly Tan Seagate Technology William Tan Megatech Electronics Pte. Ltd. 4 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 Jeri Burdick

KNOWLEDGE IS What We Know… After a little more than two months as the new editor of INSIGHT magazine, the only thing I honestly know for sure is that there’s still a lot of things I do not know! It’s difficult to decide whether a system (managing a magazine, for example) is working effectively, until you've had the opportunity to experience that system first- hand. With over 19 years in the high-technology arena (including 17 years with AMD) I have plenty of experience as both technical writer and information-management specialist. I’ve managed the production of data books (containing hundreds of product specs from multiple product lines). I’ve also developed corporate standards for technical publications (for both style and content), also across multiple product lines. I’ve even established a worldwide corporate literature archive program (to both preserve and track the history of every product publication made available to the general public). So when it comes to understanding the need for consistency, quality control, and data integrity, or having a solid belief in the value of serving up accurate and timely information (crossing multiple disciplines), I think I have that knowledge—I know I have the ability.

What I also know is this, that INSIGHT magazine—read by data storage professionals around the globe— should be held to the highest standards possible, and that its readers deserve the very best and that nothing less will do.

WISDOM IS What We Do, with what we know… Looking back at previous issues of INSIGHT, certainly the ones from the past year and a half, I can see why the magazine is held in such high esteem. The transition—from a quick-print industry trade journal—to the high- quality, professionally designed publication you see before you today, speaks volumes (or in this case, issues) for itself. Sometimes when looking back, you see where an enhancement might be made. This is the case with our new “New Member Profiles” (pages 31 through 33), where we now spotlight new members with more than just their company name. Or the regularly featured “Industry Calendar” (pages 41 and 42), with a new twist this issue—the entries were all taken from the online Industry Calendar (at www.idema.org/public/calendar/), which is updated by you…the Industry! How cool is that?

AWARENESS IS Knowing Why We Do What We Do, with what we know… My intent is NOT to reinvent this wheel called INSIGHT, just to understand its purpose and where possible, to improve upon its method for delivery. This includes looking at the history of the magazine (to see where we’ve been) and asking you, the reader, what you like and what you don’t like (to see where we’re going), and then implementing enhancements, based on your criteria.

When it comes to finding better ways to provide the information you want in INSIGHT, I’m here to make that happen. Since many of you expect that each and every issue be loaded with more and more insightful technical articles, I’m putting out a Call for Writers, emphasizing that we are looking for new and talented writers who have something to say about the industry and its technologies. If you would be interested in getting your work published, I’d absolutely be interested in reviewing an abstract of your article, and would be happy to publish any articles found to be of interest to our readers. In the final analysis, it’s really not how great we make INSIGHT, but rather, how we make INSIGHT great—with your help!

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 5 The Past May Be Prologue or History May Be Bunk: Reflections on a Perilous Quarter John Monroe, Chief Analyst, Rigid Disk Drives Worldwide and Conference Chair, Dataquest StorageTrack

“It’s like a combination of Alzheimer’s disease and It has been obvious for years that—in terms of déjà vu: We’ve forgotten how terrible it was all certain business practices—the drive makers over again.” have needed to do something completely —Phil Devin, wryly (and warmly) commenting on different. But many hoped-for changes in this human frailty in the context of industry price wars industry have yet to occur, and these quotes and overproduction. from industry veterans still—sadly, yet humorously—convey some deep truths about Mike Cannon (Maxtor’s President and CEO): madcap rigid disk drive (RDD) industry “You’ve got to be willing to pay more for the dynamics. strategic value of the storage we provide you with.” Major PC OEM Customer: “You folks [drive In 1998, factory revenue for all drive makers makers] do it to yourselves. I’m willing to pay more declined to $25.095 billion (on shipments of for storage. I’m just not willing to pay more than 143.927 million units) from its historic high of my competitor is paying for storage.” $26.640 billion (on shipments of 128.332 —Customer conversation, related by Mr. Cannon million units) in 1997. As Dataquest predicted, during his luncheon speech at Dataquest’s revenue declined and unit shipments increased. StorageTrack Conference, June 17, 1999. In 1999, Dataquest estimated factory revenue at $25.365 billion (on shipments of 174.455 “I don’t think anything has changed. There are just million units). Factory ASP declined to $145.40 fewer people to muck it up.” in 1999 from $207.60 in 1997. If precipitous —Alan F. Shugart, ex-chairman of Seagate price declines continue, the industry will not Technology. exceed 26.6 billion in annual revenue until 2002

CHASE H&Q Hambrecht and Quist LLC Statistical Summary Selected Data Storage Stocks Shares Stock Calendar Year Price/Earnings Market Cal 2000 Market Out. Price Earnings Per Share Ratio Cap Revs. Cap/ Industry Sector Company (MM) 6/1/00 1998A 1999A 2000E 1999 2000 ($MM) ($MM) 99 Revs

Disk Drives Maxtor 118.0 10.75 0.52 (0.82) 0.62 NM 17.3x 1,269 2,761 0.5 Quantum HDD Group 86.4 10.43 (1.13) (1.06) 0.56 NM 18.6x 901 3,516 0.3 Seagate Technology 235.6 61.63 0.62 1.00 0.86 61.6x 71.7x 14,520 6,473 2.2 Western Digital 134.2 4.31 (4.28) (3.46) (2.32) NM NM 578 2,265 0.3

Components HMT Technology 46.0 1.75 0.37 (1.08) (0.79) NM NM 81 197 0.4 Hutchinson Tech. 24.7 11.94 (1.29) 0.02 (1.43) NM NM 295 441 0.7 Komag 65.9 2.03 (3.51) (1.95) (0.46) NM NM 134 296 0.5 Read-Rite 50.2 2.12 (2.75) (4.11) (2.57) NM NM 106 608 0.2

Capital Intevac 11.7 3.06 0.00 (1.02) (0.75) NM NM 36 41 0.9 Equipment Veeco Instruments ** 16.7 55.63 1.08 1.45 1.82 38.4x 30.6x 929 280 3.3 Removable Iomega 282.0 3.13 (0.15) 0.05 0.31 62.6x 10.1x 883 1,530 0.6 Average: 41x 49x 0.8

**No official H&Q coverage; First -call estimates. When referenced, “A”= actual; “E”= estimate.

6 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 or 2003 (despite consistent, double-digit unit-shipment was initially thought that the deleterious effects of superparam- growth). However, Dataquest believes that the drive makers agnetism would begin to be apparent at 20 Gbits/sq.in. and have some power to change these trends. would surely be a manifest problem at 40 Gbits/sq.in., at which point conventional magnetic recording would require Continuous price declines are, to a degree, inevitable and some form of optical assistance. Many engineers now expect to even desirable in the RDD industry. The drive makers have attain 200-to-300 Gbits/sq.in. shippable areal densities with delivered extraordinary values to IT customers, and lower conventional (if enhanced) magnetic recording techniques. The prices have created vast new market opportunities. But technology barriers continue to crumble, and costs continue to unnecessary price declines can be ruinous and are, in fact, plummet. preventable. The industry has also displayed an ability to curb its collective There is nothing new about punishing wars in this industry, but tendencies toward excess production. Dataquest wrote in the in June 1999 the desktop price erosions—caused by January/February 1999 issue of INSIGHT: “If the drive makers desperation, greed and disinformation—displayed new ranges can manage a timely and accurate adjustment of their build of needless insanity. In this essay, Dataquest will try to paint an plans to meet (and not exceed) evolving market requirements, in-depth perspective portrait of some historical, prevailing and they will have a chance to transform the surplus wastelands of potential future market conditions in the RDD industry. the industry’s cyclic history and create market conditions in which sustainable profits can become a reality.” At the end of December 1997, the industry faced disastrous inventory levels An Increasingly Capable Industry (in excess of 35 percent of quarterly shipments). Throughout In 1999, the major desktop drive makers progressed rapidly most of 1998 and 1999, the drive makers (for the first time in from 4.1-GB/platter to 10.2-GB/platter technologies. The history) exercised exemplary restraint, keeping inventories at major mobile drive makers began shipping 3.33-GB/platter less than 20 percent of shipments during many quarters (at the mobile designs in February and March 1999, and achieved end of December 1999, inventories were only 15.6 percent of volume shipment of 6-GB/platter mobile technology during quarterly shipments). Irrational pricing has been an inevitable August and September 1999. This represented an effective byproduct of excess supply, and rational pricing has usually doubling of shippable mobile areal densities in only six obtained during times of tight supply. With stricter inventory months, and the August 1998-to-August 1999 year-over-year controls, the industry has taken a necessary first step toward increase in maximum shippable mobile capacities per platter creating market conditions in which more-stable pricing can was an astonishing 205 percent (from 2.1 GB/platter to 6.4 become more prevalent. GB/platter). Although enterprise product life cycles are more elongated, the drive makers have also achieved greater-than- In addition to maturing inventory management and technologi- 100-percent annual increases in enterprise areal densities cal breakthroughs (which sometimes seem to partake more of during recent years. alchemy than of rigorous science), the industry has made astonishing improvements in operational efficiencies. As a In December 1997, IBM’s initial shipment of 3.3 GB/platter, result of various supply chain initiatives, flexible manufacturing desktop GMR technologies was a landmark achievement. The processes and leveraged design enhancements, we have industry quickly followed suit, but the integration of ultra- learned (with pain and forbearance) how to make minor yet sensitive GMR technology was not easy for any drive maker. meaningful profits with low-cost drives that must be sold at However, in spite of complex difficulties, all manufacturers are substantially less than $100; two short years ago, we thought now producing reliable volumes of drives that incorporate this might be impossible. Tough and turbulent business GMR heads, and there will be minimal or no production of any conditions escalate daily and deepen our difficulties—and MR-based RDDs subsequent to the second quarter of 2000. It many component suppliers have been pushed to the brink of took the industry more than seven years to make a complete extinction (or beyond)—but we now see some feasible ways to transition from TFI- to MR-based technologies, but all drive make money on products that (perhaps) will have to be sold makers will have shifted to 100-percent production of GMR- for less than $50 in the palpably near future. based drive designs in little more than two years after IBM’s initial shipments. Our recent operational and technological achievements have been astounding, and yet we still find ourselves incapable of Because of GMR advancements, maximum shippable areal making consistent profits. Why? One obvious answer is that densities for announced products now stand at 17.4 there are still too many capable competitors. Gbits/sq.in. (65-mm media, 10-GB/platter, mobile drives), 7.6 Gbits/sq.in. (84-mm media, 7.3 GB/platter, enterprise drives), and 14.5 Gbits/sq.in. (95-mm media, 20 GB/platter, desktop An Increasing Difficulty of Differentiation drives). The current world record for laboratory demonstrated In spite of having fewer overall RDD producers than in prior areal density is 56 Gbits/sq.in. In December 1996, the world years, never before have so many viable RDD manufacturers record for laboratory demonstrated areal density was only 5 become so simultaneously strong in being able to accelerate Gbits/sq.in. We have performed a ten-fold increase of advances in their technologies and actually deliver new recording density in our laboratories and have expanded our continued on page 18 notions of what is possible with “conventional magnetics.” It

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 7 New Crystal® Octal Device Fits Current Industry Designs, Reducing System Cost While Increasing Central Office Landline We would like to feature your company in Capacity Up To Eight Lines Per Chip Storage News and therefore encourage Tapping into its rich telecommunications patent portfolio, Cirrus Logic Inc. announced the IDEMA members to send News/Press industry’s lowest power analog front-end (AFE) Releases (with photos) to Jeri Burdick, communications chip that offers up to eight lines INSIGHT Editor. You may send items either per chip. Providers of telephone equipment using by snail mail (IDEMA • 3255 Scott Blvd., the European telephone standard, or “E1,” can Suite 2-102 • Santa Clara, CA 95054- now increase their central office capacity up to 3013) or by e-mail ([email protected]). eight times while reducing power consumption by 15 percent. Cirrus Logic’s new Crystal Please note that when sending images CS61881 device replaces current chips used in via an e-mail attachment, send only TIFF line cards, SDH transmitters, broadband cross- or EPS files (not JPEG). connects and channel banks.

Patented matched-impedance drivers on the Adhesives Research, Inc. Expands Glen CS61881 reduce power consumption 15 percent Rock, PA R&D Facility and eliminate the need for a number of external Adhesives Research, Inc. announced the matching components. The CS61881 was expansion of its R&D facility. The expansion to designed for the booming European telecommu- 23,700 square feet from 13,000 square feet is nications market and exceeds all European a direct result of the steady double-digit growth telecom standards. “The Internet has caused of the company, and increasing demand for increased demand for data access in addition to custom research to develop innovative traditional voice access,” said Keith Cheney, VP pressure-sensitive adhesive-based technologies. and general manager for Cirrus Logic’s The added facilities will accommodate growth Communications Division. “Cirrus Logic is Members featured in in the R&D function, which has doubled over committed to providing mixed-signal communi- Storage News this the last 24 months. cations solutions that will enable our issue: telecommunications OEM customers to lead in Adhesives Research, Inc. Adhesives Research employs a team-based the expansion of the Internet infrastructure. Visit approach, working with customers and Cirrus Logic Inc. Cirrus Logic Inc. at www.cirrus.com. suppliers to develop unique bonding solutions. HMS Compounds, Inc. “Our approach to research and development ESD Carrier Tape & Tray Stock Kerry Ultrasonics Ltd. begins with really understanding what our customers need,” said VP and technical director The newest addition LDIC (LSI Design & of R&D, John Lind. “We are committed to to the HMS Integration Corporation) dedicating the resources necessary to commer- Compounds, Inc. MKS Instruments cialize the critical technology our customers product line is the Morning Planet require.” The R&D department’s strength lies in HMS-1000C. This product conception and the successful commer- bulk-conductive n&k Technology, Inc. cialization of innovative products that styrenic-alloy film, Rudolph Technologies, incorporate a pressure-sensitive adhesive. If the roll stock, and sheet Inc. (RTI) required technology a customer needs does not is used to package The Minerals, Metals & exist, Adhesives Research is committed to semiconductors, Materials Society (TMS) developing a customized solution. Visit disk drive Valtech Corporation Adhesives Research, Inc. at www.adhesivesre- components, and search.com. subassemblies worldwide. The compounded, bulk-conductive packaging stock is unlike coated packaging stock where static remains on the surface. Exceptional thermoformability, maximum ESD/mechanical protection, availability and low cost are all features of HMS products. Founded in 1989, HMS Compounds, Inc. is one of the world’s leading suppliers of ESD Packaging Stock. Visit HMS Compounds, Inc. at www.hmscompounds.com.

8 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 High-Specification Cleaning Systems for Precision MKS Instruments Acquires Compact Instruments Engineered Components MKS Instruments, Inc. entered into an agreement to acquire The Microclean PE Compact Instruments, a privately held start-up company with Series of high- proprietary technology in process monitoring for semicon- specification ductor manufacturing and other manufacturing processes. cleaning systems Compact Instrument was created by former Applied Science from Kerry & Technology, Inc. co-founder Donald Smith, along with co- Ultrasonics is founders Matthew Besen and Daniel Behr. Compact designed to meet Instruments’ focus has been on small, less expensive vacuum the demanding instruments used to monitor and control various production cleaning require- processes. Their first product, still in development, is a ments of the compact mass spectrometer for monitoring critical industrial precision and semiconductor processes. This technology, for which a engineering sector. patent has been applied for, is aimed to reduce the cost and Representing a fully size of monitors for advanced processes, making it feasible proven alternative for the first time to have mass-spectrometer-based process to old solvent monitors as standard features on leading-edge semiconduc- cleaners, Kerry’s PE tor process tools and on chemical or pharmaceutical systems offer better processes. cleaning results and dramatically MKS Instruments, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, lower operating costs. Also, the multi-stage clean, rinse manufacturer and supplier of instruments, components and and dry process can be configured to have zero direct subsystems used to measure, control and analyze gases in environmental impact. Designed to operate in strict semiconductor manufacturing and similar industrial cleanroom conditions, PE systems can be used for the manufacturing processes. For more information, call MKS high-volume cleaning of virtually any precision-engineered Instruments at 1-800-227-8766. component. Common examples are computer disk drive assemblies and both scientific and ophthalmic glass Morning Planet announces DataStoreX.com, E- products. Community for the Data Storage Industry

To ensure consistent and repeatable cleaning results, all PE “First of its kind news, commentary, and community website give industry participants access to advanced systems are fitted with the latest Autotrans twin-head content and resources.” automatic work transporter. Kerry’s Autotrans is fully Morning Planet announced DataStoreX.com, the data compatible with Class 100 cleanroom conditions. Contact storage industry’s first business-to-business information Kerry Ultrasonics Ltd. in Singapore at 65-7452936. community. DataStoreX.com is a comprehensive E- Community that meets the needs of both buyers and First-Time Release Outside USA at DISKCON Japan suppliers. LDIC (LSI Design & Integration Corporation, a leading developer of storage mixed-signal product, introduced the Leading industry players will be talking about the hottest first Single Chip Drive Integrated Circuit member of its topics in the data storage industry on DataStoreX.com. Users Performance Series LD810X family of Drive Single Chip can browse or search for products and vendors through a Solutions. “LD810X family of products provide best comprehensive online directory of companies involved in the performance with patented architecture,” said president data storage industry. The Buyer's Guide can be used as a and CEO Mehdi “Max” Bathaee. source for multiple vendors or get information on new products. Purchasing professionals can use the Product This product is the first result of their partnership with state- Catalog to get quotes and locate vendors. DataStoreX.com of-the-art technology leader Sanyo Semiconductor is designed as a living E-Community that puts participants in Corporation in storage product development. Visit LDIC at contact with other industry professionals from around the www.ldic.com. world. Online discussion boards and forums will be a hotspot of industry chatter, with special focus on market conditions, stock prices, and hot tips. Visit Morning Planet at morningplanet.com.

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 9 n&k Technology, Inc. Announces Two New The MetaPULSE unit operates on the same Thin-Film Analyzers principle as sonar, using picosecond laser pulses n&k Technology, Inc. announces two new thin to generate sound reflections from the film film analyzers: the n&k 3000, a fully automated interfaces. These reflections (echoes) are detected thin film characterization system for patterned and timed, then related to film characteristics such wafers, and the n&k 1700, a table-top version. as thickness, roughness, and interface adhesion. Both versions reliably, accurately, and precisely MetaPULSE provides fast, high-precision analyze ultra-thin films, and are designed to multilayer information at a relatively low cost per rapidly characterize complex film structures of measurement compared to measuring individual semiconductor and giant magnetoresistive single layers on a test substrate or cross-section recording head wafers. These analyzers are analysis by electron microscopy. The nondestruc- commonly used in data storage, semiconductor, tive measurements can be made on product flat panel displays optical coating and industrial wafers and, as opposed to focused ion-beam and coating markets. SEM cross sectioning, can be made at multiple points on a product wafer, providing effective The patented optics of the n&k analyzers process control. Visit Rudolph Technologies, Inc. at provide state-of-the-art signal-to-noise ratio www.rudolphtech.com. measures over the deep ultra-violet to near infrared spectral range—a feature that is In Tune with Grand Ole TMS Tradition— essential for today’s fine geometry microelec- Another Successful Annual Meeting & tronics and integrated circuits. Visit n&k Exhibition Technology, Inc. at www.nandk.com. The 129th Minerals, Metals & Materials Society’s (TMS) Annual Meeting & Exhibition ended as Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (RTI) Metrology expected, in tune with its successful past annual Tool Purchased by Major Data Storage meetings. Over 3,550 professional engineers and Manufacturer researchers from government, industry, and Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (RTI), a leading academia attended the 129th TMS Annual provider of film thickness metrology systems, Meeting to expand their knowledge through any has received an order for a sixth MetaPULSE® of the 200 technical sessions and 1,000 metrology tool from a major data storage individual presentations. The sessions and products manufacturer. The order demonstrates individual presentations covered topics relevant to the expansion of advanced technology being technological developments in materials sciences, used in the magnetic data storage industry. The minerals processing, primary metal production, tools are to be used for thin-film measurements basic research, advance materials applications, during the development and manufacturing of and metallurgy. Visit TMS at www.tms.org. advanced GMR read-write heads for use in high-density magnetic disk drives. Valtech Corporation Appoints New Technical Director of R&D Center Valtech Corporation announces the appointment of Mohammed “Moe” Taravati as technical director of the R&D Center in Livermore, CA. Taravati will oversee the development of new precision chemistries for the disk drive industry. The company is headquartered in Pottstown Penn., and is a worldwide supplier of formulated detergents to the disk drive industry. Visit Valtech Corporation at www.valtechcorp.com.

10 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 Texas Instruments AD continued from page 8 Study of Extremely High-Density Recording for Disk Drives Recording Data at 40–100 Gbits/in2 Ed Pivonka, The National Storage Industry Consortium (NSIC)

The National Storage Industry Consortium (NSIC) is the rate of capacity improvements and cost per pursuing a study of Extremely High-Density Recording for megabyte. disk drives, aimed at developing the technology needed for recording data at 40–100 Gbits/in2. One part of that study At today’s densities, changing the native-block size on a proposes the use of native block sizes larger than the drive from 512 bytes to 4096 bytes would increase the current de facto standard of 512 bytes. Such a change is capacity seen by a user by 7 percent to 10 percent. Since inevitable if disk drives are to continue to advance in that represents a two- to three-month advancement in cost/capacity at the most aggressive pace possible. technology, a change in the common block size has rela- tively little benefit today. However, in the middle of the While there is no immediate problem that would require next decade—when recording density is expected to larger block sizes, it makes sense to adopt a large-block- reach 100 Gbits/in2, with significantly degraded raw size strategy now, to provide sufficient lead time for both error rate—changing the native-block size on a drive hardware and software companies to make the necessary from 512 bytes to 4096 bytes is estimated to increase the changes, and to minimize disruption to customers. capacity seen by a user from 25 percent to 50 percent (depending on the assumptions made about future disks). NSIC proposes that the native-block size recorded on At the current rate of advancement, that leads to disks be increased from the currently pervasive 512 bytes between two and four quarters of improvement in to a larger size, initially 4096 bytes. The change is achieving particular levels of cost/capacity. If the rate of motivated by the expectation that, as we push the technol- density increase slows, as must eventually happen, the ogy to significantly higher areal densities, an increase in improvement will be even greater. Transition to larger recording density will not result in an equivalent increase block size is seen as inevitable therefore, and the change in user capacity on the disk. As recording density in the native-block size should be initiated in the near increases, it becomes more and more difficult to reliably future. retrieve data from the surface of the disk. For the industry to accommodate larger blocks, there For many years disk technology advanced at a rate that must be a strategy in place that provides sufficient lead allowed for increased density with little degradation of the time for both hardware and software providers. NSIC read process, so reliability of data retrieval has been rela- intends for hardware and software evolution to be tively constant. Where there was degradation, the decoupled, so that changes can be made in an orderly reliability of data was restored by means of more powerful manner. The key points are: error-correcting codes (ECC). Since redundancy associated • A lengthy period in which data can be addressed as with these codes was modest, the overall effect has been either 512-byte blocks or as 4096-byte blocks. that disk capacity, as seen by the user, has increased in proportion to the recording density—at a compounded • An architecture such that legacy software based on 512-byte blocks continues to work with no change. growth rate of about 60 percent per year—with commen- surate improvement in cost/megabyte. • A transition time after which performance may suffer if data is addressed on a 512-byte basis. In the not-too-distant future, density increases will stretch the limits of the technology with reliable reading, depend- We will be discussing a roadmap for moving to larger- ing strongly on enhanced ECC where there must be signif- physical-block sizes (for both SCSI and ATA disk drives) icantly more information in a block for proper initiation that will ease the transition for system developers and of the read process. The overhead needed for clocking system integrators. data, decoding data, and correcting errors will be substan- tial. Since much of this overhead is “per block,” rather Already discussed was why a move to larger-physical- than “per byte,” short blocks will be much less efficient block size will be needed if the industry is to continue its than longer blocks. The result is that users could see the growth in areal density and benefit the end user. So how rate of increase in capacity slowing, even if the density can we get there? continues to increase on a basis of more than 60 percent per year. Because of the increasing difficulty associated A near-term strategy proposes that 512 bytes be retained with technological improvement, density increases will as the native-block size, and that new code based on eventually be less than 60 percent per year, slowing further continued on page 14

12 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 MTI AD continued from page 12 Not all drives currently manufactured are capable of being Reformatted to a 4096-byte logical block. This stage de- 4096-byte blocks be accommodated. Thus new systems pends on the ability of drive manufacturers to incorporate and software designers would immediately be able to this function in production drives. design with the 4096-byte blocks in mind. Because of dif- ferences in SCSI and ATA drives, two different Second Approach: The current ATA (IDE) standard does approaches must be taken. not allow for block sizes other than 512 bytes. Therefore, for ATA drives during the early stage, systems and soft- First Approach: At an early stage, drive manufacturers ware designers would be encouraged to access all data on would provide SCSI disk drives (using the SCSI command 4096-byte boundaries. set implemented on a serial interface such as Fibre Channel, SSA, or 1394) that would allow logical-block When the necessary changes to SCSI, 1394, and ATA addressing (LBA) based on either 512-byte blocks or standards are in place, and drives that readily accommo- 4096-byte blocks with equivalent performance. date the larger block size are widely available, disks will begin to use 4096 bytes as the native-block size. Access on The SCSI standard provides a Reformat command for a 512-byte basis would continue to be supported, but per- defining the size of a logical block in a disk drive, which, formance would be inferior to access done on a 4096-byte for this proposal would be either 512 bytes or 4096 basis, and might well be inferior to previous drives with a bytes. For Stage 1 it is expected that drives would merely 512-byte native-block size. aggregate eight 512-byte physical blocks to create a 4096-byte logical block in response to a Reformat In the long term, it will be appropriate to consider even command. larger block sizes (in powers of 2). The benefits of very- long blocks can be seen in the DVD experience. For The proposed Reduced Command Set for the 1394 example, the error rate in DVD is 50 times worse than that interface does not presently provide for a Reformat of CD, requiring more powerful error correction; the per- command. A change to the Reduced Command Set will centage overhead required for the DVD’s error correction be required to accommodate the larger block size. (with 32K-byte blocks) is actually less than that for the CD with 672-byte blocks.

Informal contacts in the industry indicate that 4096-byte blocks could be accommodated with sufficient lead time, DISKCON USA—Keynote Dinner but that very-large blocks (e.g., 32K bytes) would require significantly more effort. Drive manufacturers assume that Featuring Michael Brown, CEO and Chairman of the there will be little difficulty in using longer blocks for Board, Quantum Corporation newly written programs, but recognize that much of the Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2000 current software depends on 512-byte blocks. For this The Westin Hotel, Santa Clara, CA reason, a lengthy transition period is proposed. No Host Cocktails: 6 p.m. Dinner: 7 p.m. Over time it is expected that upgrades to existing program will have accesses converted to 4096-byte blocks. In the Michael Brown joined Quantum Corporation in 1984. early stages, the residual 512-byte accesses are proposed to After holding a succession of marketing and general work as they do now. 512-byte accesses may have rela- management positions, he was named Chief Executive tively poor performance. Obviously it will be advantageous Officer in 1995 and then Chairman of the Board in to convert all accesses that are critical for performance. 1998. During his tenure as CEO, Quantum has achieved record sales and profits and quadrupled its Some of today’s systems use blocks that are not precisely market value. He is also the Acting President (with 512 bytes. At their request, disk manufacturers supply responsibility for overall operation) of Quantum's variations starting from 512. Two potential approaches for DLT & Storage Systems Group, whose mission is to a system that cannot be converted to 4096-byte blocks are: develop Quantum's business in removable media storage and storage systems. 1. Retain block sizes currently used, taking a penalty of up to 50 percent in cost/megabyte. 2. Convert to a block size of approximately 4096 bytes (a Before joining Quantum, Brown was a research multiple of the current block size). associate at Braxton Associates, a strategic planning consulting firm. He holds a bachelor’s degree in This article has been an overview of the proposed move to larger economics from Harvard University and a master’s block sizes. For a copy of an NSIC White Paper that provides degree from Stanford University. performance and capacity-tradeoff details, please contact Ed Pivonka at NSIC at 858-279-8583 or by e-mail at [email protected].

14 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 CDS Analytical Ad DISKCON USA Technical Conference Sessions Sept. 19–21, 2000

This year’s Technical Conference at DISKCON USA offers new concurrent sessions that have been added to provide a more complete assessment of storage technologies, application requirements, and business outlooks for the industry. With sessions running concurrently, attendees will have the opportunity to choose from a variety of sessions, designed to interest a wider storage audience and that reflect advances in magnetic technology and the growing spectrum of disk drive applications. Please attend as many sessions as possible, and explore the many facets of storage.

The following is a list of the nine sessions being offered this year—along with dates, times, speakers and topics—as of June 12. This list is subject to change, so please visit the IDEMA website at www.idema.org for updates on the latest list of speakers and topics.

DISKCON Technical Conference Chair: Ed Grochowski, IBM Research Division 1. Microcontamination Symposium E. Noel Abarra, Fujitsu Corporation Novel Longitudinal Media with Thermal Stabilization Layers Tuesday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m. to noon Mary F. Doerner, IBM Chair: Donald J. Perettie, Ph.D., President, ADMAT Advanced Media on Glass Substrates for 30 Gbits/in2 and Beyond International Francis Liu, Read-Rite Corporation Demonstration and Characterization of Greater than 50 Gbits/in2 The disk drive industry is increasingly characterized by micro- Recording Systems dimensions in head lithography, film thickness, and physical Andreas Moser, IBM spacing of head/media within the drive, resulting in extreme Writing and Detecting Bits Near 100 Gbits/in2 and Beyond sensitivity to ESD, solvent, and particulate contamination. This Erhard Schreck, Maxtor Corporation symposium addresses control of these factors in today’s Power Dissipation Due to Air Drag Effects of Various Components in Disk Drives production environment, all of which have an effect in the success of a disk drive product. Stone Shi, Read-Rite Corporation Magnetic Recording at a Data Rate Beyond 1 Gbit/sec Kristan Bahten, Technical Development Manager, Rippey Hisashi Takano, Hitachi Corporation Corporation Realization of 52.5 Gbits/in2 Perpendicular Recording Particle Removal and the Mechanics of Brush Scrubbing for Disk Media and Substrate Cleaning Saied Tehrani, Motorola Recent Developments in Magnetic Tunnel Junction MRAM John C. Hulteen, Environmental Manager, 3M Gas Phase FTIR Detection of Outgassing Compounds: An Instantaneous and Comprehensive Outgas Analysis Method Tom Oberjat, International Market Manager, Safeskin Corporation 3. Requirements of Storage Architecture ESD Electrostatic Discharge and Glove Selection in Electronics Manufacturing Tuesday, Sept. 19, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Chair: Clod Barrera, Director of Systems Strategy, IBM Donald J. Perettie, Ph.D., President, ADMAT International (developed with 3M) Storage Subsystems Division Use of Hydrofluoroethers as a Cleaning Solution for Disk Drive Components Data storage systems are undergoing a rapid evolution, based on the wild growth of the Internet and the expansion of 2. IEEE INTERMAG Toronto Conference Review corporate open systems. This phenomenon has created markets for storage products more versatile than the traditional Tuesday, Sept. 19, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. network file server, resulting in a new generation of SAN, NAS, Chair: Robert E. Fontana, Jr., IBM Research Division VP, and network storage products, as well as software storage IEEE Magnetics Society management offerings. This session will help you to distinguish between the Neanderthals and the top-rated expert solutions A select group of speakers from the recent IEEE INTERMAG as you design the next-generation disk drives and interfaces. Toronto Conference (held April 9–13, 2000) have been invited Dick Blaschke, Executive VP, Marketing, Xiotech (Seagate subsidiary) once again to present papers on innovative storage technolo- Virtualization May Change Disk Topographies gies—sure to be of maximum interest for DISKCON attendees. Ron Engelbrecht, VP & General Manager (Witchita Operations), LSI These presenters will discuss high-density perpendicular record- Logic Storage Systems Inc. ing, longitudinal recording at 100 Gbits/in2, recording at The Customer Has the Final Answer on Storage 1 Gbit/sec data rate, exchange-stabilized media, and magnetic Vic Jipson, President, Network Storage Group, Maxtor Corporation tunnel junction MRAM technology. If you missed INTERMAG, or Network Storage Appliances: The Case for ATA Disk Drives want to hear the latest from the industry’s foremost magnetic Jerry Lopatin, Senior Director of Storage & Platforms, Network technology experts, then definitely attend this session. Appliance, Inc. Network Storage, Out of the SAN Box Chris Wood, Director of SAN Strategy, Sun Microsystems, Inc. Storage as a Means to an End

16 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 4. New Applications—Where is Storage Going? Gerardo Bertero, Komag, Inc., Director, R&D Sputtering The Path to 100 Gbits/in2 Wednesday, Sept. 20, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunita Gangopadhyay, Seagate Technology Chair: James N. Porter, President, DISK/TREND, Inc. Present and Future Advances for GMR Recording Heads Dennis Saxby, President, 2Rite Corporation What kind of storage devices will be needed in the emerging Design of Head Interconnect Assemblies for Next-Generation Disk and formative markets? More effective designs of tape and Drives disk drives have created novel formats intended for entirely Jun Xie, Ph.D., Product Applications Manager, Intevac new applications. Digital photography, mobile computing and Particle Control in the CVD Processes for Ultrathin Carbon Overcoats communications, games, and video/audio applications have all stimulated development of storage products using magnetic, as well as alternative, technologies. By attending this 7. Disk Drives for New Consumer Applications session, you will explore what is happening in these markets Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and gain an understanding of which product designs will make Chair: Darci Arnold, Consultant the best fit in the future.

Pantelis Alexopoulos, VP & CTO, Advanced Technology, Recent consumer electronic applications have been emerging Maxtor Corporation where disk drives can provide storage capacity based on their Magnetic Storage Has a Great Future low cost, high capacities, and small form factors. This session Tatsuo Baba, Senior Director, Optical Storage Engineering, will focus on these newly defined markets for products such as Hitachi America audio devices using the MP3 format, audio jukeboxes, home DVD-RAM is on a Fast Track theaters, personal video recorders, and finally, Internet Ed Cuellar, Manager, OEM Marketing, SanDisk Corporation interfaces. If you invest in this session, the dividends could be a Your Future is in the Cards new world of personal disk drive designs. Dave Davies, CTO, DataPlay, Inc. New Mobile Markets Need New Storage Solutions Patrick Hanlin, Seagate Technology Rakesh Laroia, Manager, Mobile/Desktop HDD Strategy, IBM Dan Levin, ReplayTV Storage Technology Division Larry Phillips, Panasonic IBM Microdrive, Technology and Applications Scott Smears, Sony Steve Vasquez, Request 5. Disk Drive Electronics/Data Channel Technology 8. Business Perspectives for the Industry Wednesday, Sept. 20, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Chair: Barry Rossum, COO, Acorn Technology Chair: Oz Fundingsland, President, OSF International

What makes a successful disk drive design? The electronics, of Today’s disk drive industry faces market challenges that could course! Today’s disk drives rely on the latest in microprocessor, expand its business status in the financial world, or continue preamplifier, and data channel circuit designs in order to the "so-so" performance that has characterized storage in support areal densities in the tens of Gbits/in2 range and at recent years. This session will draw upon the analyses of Wall data rates approaching 100 Mbits/sec with bit-error rates far Street specialists, as well as business executives from within the lower than 10-10, while the degree of electronics integration industry, to formulate a picture of where the disk-drive industry has increased manifoldly. As challenging as today’s designs is headed and what will be its future. are, the future represents more demands in circuit design and coding efficiencies. Attend this session to learn the latest design John Dean, Salomon Smith Barney specs for today’s electronics, and find out what’s on the William Lewis, Chase H&Q drawing board for the future. Gillian Munson, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter John Contreras, IBM Almaden Research Center Design Considerations for a Disk Drive’s Read/Write IC 9. Manufacturing Technology Russ Garcia, Texas Instruments, Inc. The Progression of Drive Electronics, a Two-Year Outlook Thursday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. John Harris, Lucent Technologies Chair: To be announced Nersi Nazari, Ph.D., VP, Signal Processing Technology, Marvell The manufacturing environment for hard disk drives is the Semiconductor What’s Beyond PRML? medium where technology, design, and operations meet to create a successful product line. This final session will address manufacturing system architecture, advanced tooling and testing, process handling, and contamination control, offering 6. Disk Drive Product Technology expert descriptions of the latest technologies and giving attendees a first-hand view of manufacturing directions. Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Terry Bluck, VP, Equipment Engineering, Intevac Chair: Michael Russak, VP, R&D and CTO, HMT New Systems Architecture Expands Process Capabilities Technology Harold Hess, Ph.D., Phase Metrics Media Substrates Testing Techniques The right component technologies, processes, and drive Abid N. Merchant, Senior Research Associate, DuPont Company designs translate to leadership in our industry. This selection is Effect of Solvent on Lube Performance of Hard Disk accomplished in an environment of rapidly changing technolo- Erik Mori, Director of Technology, General Chemical Corporation gies for heads, disks, electronics, and mechanical components. Solvent Reprocessing and Reclamation In this session, product-design experts will address key Donald J. Perettie, Ph.D., President, ADMAT International technologies and their evolutionary trends. GMR heads, and (developed with 3M) the use of newer media materials and substrates, will be The Influence of Deposition Solvent on Lube Bonding Ratio for discussed to support continued areal-density growth. Magnetic Media

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 17 continued from page 7 Portrait of a Pricing meant that Seagate’s ultra- tactical reason for dropping Spiral low-cost U4 drives had desktop pricing to such low products on time and in already established a levels in June 1999. What We have a bad habit in this strategically significant beachhead in the OEM the industry sadly exhibited industry of selling a new channels at a price that volume. was money-losing behavior, “Lexus” for used “Tercel” was tough but not with no appreciable market prices. There is a difference— impossible to beat (the Contrary to appearances, it share shifts and no clear is not exactly true that all which we often ignore— price was low, but not needlessly low, in May winners (other than the drive makers are on between offering exceptional 1999). OEMs). Everybody lost. precisely the same techno- deals and engaging in going- out-of-business sales, and 3. An irrational pricing logical and operational Dataquest finds it curious (lemminglike) the RDD frenzy—fueled by plane at the same time. that executives from all of the industry has favored the latter, desperation and disinfor- However, it is certainly more publicly held drive makers especially in the desktop mation—ensued, and true now than it has ever claimed to have responsibly arenas. Take, for example, already depressed entry- been in the past, and the “walked away” from OEM June 1999. level desktop prices trend does seem to be dropped by more than $15 price quotes that did not toward an ever-greater (about 18 to 20 percent) in make good business sense, A variety of market factors apparent uniformity. This less than three weeks. and yet entry-level desktop coalesced to create unprece- shrinkage in variation has in pricing still fell to unprece- dented desktop RDD pricing part been caused by Inventories had increased in dented levels. Obviously, the turmoil during June 1999. In industry-wide technical and March 1999 and would top-tier PC OEMs had the the high-technology markets, operational efficiencies, but increase again in June 1999, luxury of enhanced multiple “history” may be (as Henry it is also the result of a and Seagate’s presence as a choice and pricing leverage, Ford once said) “bunk,” but refinement in customer qualifiable supplier at the and mercilessly used this Dataquest believes that the preferences, which now major OEMs caused an leverage to create a unique, yet depressingly seem to favor fewer optimal excruciating new dimension downward pricing spiral. familiar, pricing dynamics of designs. to appear in an already Obviously, more than one the second quarter of 1999 fiercely competitive desktop drive manufacturer can provide the industry with In any case, the fact that so landscape (much to the capitulated. Obviously, many a cautionary tale that should many major domestic and chagrin of Seagate’s of the drive makers sold be remembered and instruc- international RDD makers competitors, who had much some products at desperately tively retold for many years to have simultaneously to lose and fought to salvage discounted prices (whether come. achieved considerable or extend their primary OEM for the sake of merely measures of technical and share). However, the maintaining or strategically Three critical turns of events, manufacturing prowess will inventory surpluses were increasing their market share which partially represent the continue to create some minor compared to the is irrelevant). Some drive dynamics of the quarter, stand toughly twisted near-term excesses of prior years, and makers may have quoted an out in Dataquest’s mind: challenges for the whole Seagate’s time-to-market outrageously low price with industry. Unfortunately, in execution was something its no intention of delivering any the RDD industry, a 1. The OEM demand for competitors should have substantial volume of product governing greed for the higher-capacity desktop anticipated. Dataquest had at such a discounted price— drives declined during the evanescent grail of market repeatedly told its clients this is a standard if ignoble second quarter of 1999, share often overshadows that—given the company’s ploy that has been used in whereas demand for ultra- bottom-line fiscal concerns. intense executive low-cost sub-10-GB many industries to decimate Too many companies have desktop drives increased in commitment—Seagate would competitors’ short-term too much at stake, and it is direct relation to the eventually get it right, and profits. unlikely that any company growing popularity of sub- predicted that when Seagate will willingly relinquish its $700 computers. Drive did get healthier with its Dataquest believes that, in market-share goals (even if makers who had planned desktop products, the this kind of pricing a reduction in a company’s for a strategic mix of markets would change environment, there are no market-share ambitions higher-end desktop sales dramatically. innocent bystanders, only would make greater fiscal were forced to try to sell survivors, and all players are more of their low-end sense). As Bette Davis said The desktop markets perpetrators. All of the desktop products to meet in the film All About Eve: changed dramatically in the desktop drive makers should revenue goals and reduce “Fasten your seat belts, it’s spring of 1999, but the fact potential inventory hold themselves jointly and going to be a bumpy night.” exposure. remains that there was simply severally accountable for no meaningful strategic or legitimizing new entry-level 2. Seagate achieved time-to- price points which also market desktop drastically dragged down the competitiveness, which

18 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 price of higher-capacity desktop drives. Because of a lack of patience, combined with the difficulty of determining which price quotes were real and which were not, the industry established—as it has so often done in the past—prematurely low (and mostly profitless) prices. Erroneous Decisions, Unnecessary Erosions Prior to this perilous quarter, major OEMs had not demanded that entry-level RDDs had to be available for such low prices in June 1999, but they certainly encouraged and accepted these discounted prices (and are now demanding, but not yet obtaining, even lower prices). Frenzied desktop price declines abated in the second half of 1999 (and some drive makers even raised prices), but prices had already fallen to needlessly HP AD low levels, and the profits reported by some suppliers for the December 1999 and March 2000 quarters could have been augmented, and the losses reported by other suppliers could have been lessened.

Manufacturing and channel inventories increased slightly at the end of March 2000 (as occurred in 1999) and OEM demand seems to be slackening somewhat (as it almost always does during the spring and summer months). The industry is set for a replay of June 1999, but hopefully this year more sanity will prevail. However, Dataquest foresees no immediate relief from ferocious desktop RDD pricing dynamics. Dataquest also fears that these dynamics will become more prevalent in the mobile and enterprise RDD arenas, which, to date, have remained somewhat more sane and stable.

Product line managers, who are primarily responsible for pricing decisions in this industry, have to deal with a stupefying quantity of disinformation. It is always hard to judge the difference between a necessary and a foolhardy price reduction, because customers and salespeople are prone to strategic falsehoods. Most RDD salespeople are reimbursed based on revenue (rather than, say, on combined average selling prices to major OEMs), and most corporate OEM buyers are compensated based on their ability to negotiate better prices. These compensation schemes definitely favor the OEMs and not the drive makers, and Dataquest suspects that many unholy alliances forged over cocktails have expedited RDD price erosions.

The desperation caused by chaotic market conditions often leads to erroneous pricing decisions (largely based on tactical lies). And yet—as times of product allocation, which grant clarity and perspective, have taught us—it is a hard historical fact that we have witnessed customers in various channels paying a higher price for entry-level and other RDDs when these products could not be found at a lower price (no storage customer can possibly afford to be without adequate supplies of RDDs). It is also true that, in the RDD industry, a seemingly trivial price stabilization can create an immense difference in earnings.

continued on page 21

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 19 GE AD continued from page 19 earnings (or losses), and the game of market share gain merely for the sake of market share gain has proven in the past to be This is hardly “rocket science,” but we tend to forget that no a mostly profitless and irresponsible endeavor. immutable law of nature ordains that RDD prices must drop to dangerously unprofitable levels every quarter. People (in the The market shares of the top six drive suppliers—Seagate, guise of product line management and sales executives) Quantum, Fujitsu, Maxtor, Western Digital and IBM—are now authorize or refuse to authorize RDD price reductions. People more equally distributed than they have ever been in the past. can prevent unnecessary price erosions. In 1995, almost 30 percentage points separated the shares of the No. 1 and No. 6 drive makers; in 1999, less than 10 Some Deeper Reckoning percentage points separated the shares of the No. 1 and No. 6 drive makers. In the future, Dataquest predicts that it will be Reliable, high-capacity, high-speed, low-cost RDDs have been much harder (and perhaps less profitable) for any single drive and will continue to be key enablers of the widespread prolif- maker to gain and maintain a significant share advantage for eration of information, entertainment, and communication any extended period of time over the vastly improved (if technologies. The global revolution in IT simply would not smaller) “pack” of competitors. have been possible without significant cost-reductions and performance enhancements in RDD design and volume Dataquest sees few (if any) long-term strategic, technological, production processes. But the drive industry has yet to receive or economic reasons for there to be more than five major RDD appropriate recognition for its staggering achievements, and in producers. Currently, there are 10 major and two minor RDD recent years has been able to generate only paltry profits—or, suppliers. Dataquest predicts that there will be no more than far more often, inordinate losses—from its enormous and seven—and possibly five or fewer—major RDD makers by the critical contributions to computing efficiency. end of the year 2001 (if not much sooner).

Dataquest finds it rather excruciatingly ironic that EMC2—an Consolidation may take the form of R&D partnerships, enterprise storage solutions provider whose heterogeneous narrowing of product focus, mergers, alliances, acquisitions, subsystem products could neither exist nor evolve without a abdications, or failures. It should certainly be less expensive for solid base of continually advancing high-end RDD the surviving RDD manufacturers to figure out some legal way technology—has a market valuation (in excess of $70 billion) to coordinate and consolidate their efforts, rather than that dwarfs the current combined market valuation of all the continuing to bludgeon each other to death in protracted price independent, publicly held RDD suppliers (Seagate, Quantum, wars, decimating cash reserves and shedding a great deal of Maxtor and Western Digital). Even if one adds some range of precious fiscal “blood” as grave by grave they civilize the estimated net current value for the RDD divisions of other ground. But further consolidation will constitute only a partial major suppliers (IBM, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Hitachi, Samsung and solution to the industry’s problems. NEC), the perceived worth of a single, large RDD customer (EMC2) still exceeds, by an approximate factor of three, the There were 62 RDD makers in 1988, and they delivered a market value of the entire RDD industry—an arresting and mere 15.8 million drives during that year. Now there are only enlightening fact. 10 major suppliers (only seven for desktop RDDs). In 1999 these companies shipped 174.5 million drives (130.2 million of Vital components (RDDs) will never be so greatly valued as which were desktop RDDs, up from 106.9 million in 1998). In complex solutions (high-availability storage subsystems), but the last decade, the markets for RDDs have grown enormously something can surely be done to diminish the future (and will continue to grow), and the number of RDD suppliers devaluation of indispensable RDD technology. Virtually all has dramatically declined. drive makers are now beginning to move up the value chain by developing and selling complete storage solutions, but These developments should have created—within the legal there are also other ways in which we can enhance earnings. limits of free enterprise—some kind of constructive, cooperative The RDD industry is staffed by phenomenally bright and incentive for strategically lucrative business endeavors. And yet capable people who are certainly smart enough to increase the industry still finds itself incapable of producing consistent depressed shareholder values by dedicating more genius and profits. History has shown us that—despite the favorable energy to the task of materially changing profitless business chances created by expanding markets—consolidation, in and practices. of itself, will not be sufficient to heal the RDD industry’s myriad fiscal woes. Some deeper reckoning and more profound It should be instructive to remember that, throughout the changes will be required. history of the RDD industry, wars of attrition have been repeatedly tried and have repeatedly failed to engender more profitable market conditions for the surviving suppliers— ”Another victory like that and we’re done for,” as a wise continued on page 22 general once remarked after a “Pyrrhic” battle in which he sustained stunning losses. In this industry, market share shifts have not necessarily had any direct relation to corporate

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 21 continued from page 21 density (which recently has been eradicated), no drive maker has (yet) been able to truly “own” a technological advantage Vendor Recommendations for very long, and in the last two years all drive makers— particularly in the mobile and desktop arenas—have been • For the sake of maintaining the extraordinary degree of able to attain roughly the same curve of technology innovation, creativity, and technological change in this advancement. industry, Dataquest believes that it will be important to have at least a few healthy and thriving independent RDD, head, • If the “perceived value” of the RDD industry’s brilliant and media suppliers. creations—which combine physics, chemistry, aerodynamics, and a host of other scientific disciplines—increasingly • No matter how strong the vertically integrated giants becomes seen as “more or less the same stuff, offered at become, it will be crucial for the industry to have more or less the same time, at more or less the same price, independent suppliers to challenge the internal efforts of with more or less the same outstanding features from companies that make their own media and heads, to keep multiple reliable suppliers” (i.e., as “commodities”), then these companies alert and force them to perform at the what will actually determine a manufacturer’s future market highest levels of their capability. Without these “external” share (and its sustainable profits) will be the quality and influencers, whose genius and energy are focused on a depth of its vendor and customer relationships. single vital aspect of technology, Dataquest predicts that the technical accomplishments in this industry will be diminished • All drive makers should maintain and enhance all relation- and the richness of innovation will be impoverished. ships at each stage of the supply chain by developing in-depth, confidential, mutually beneficial, and trusting • It has been common practice for a drive company to qualify partnerships with carefully chosen vendors and strategic two or three (or more) vendors of heads, media, and other customers. All OEMs should become more willing (less components for each drive platform. In the future, all non- adversarial) participants in these evolving relationships. vertically integrated and even vertically integrated drive makers should establish more exclusive and dedicated • A deep commitment to the creation of more mature and relationships with independent, external component suppliers enduring alliances—”Nature does not know extinction, all it in order to ensure adequate technology advancement, knows is transformation…” (Werner on Braun, the devil consistently cost-reduced quality, and mutual survival. always gets the best lines)—may be the only thing capable of showing us the ways in which sustainable profits can • It has also been common practice for major OEM customers become a reality in the RDD industry. to qualify at least three—and in some cases, as many as five—RDD vendors for each system or subsystem platform. In Inconclusive Conclusions the future, more exclusive and dedicated arrangements A global need for more storage is accelerating in multiple should be pursued, which could result in deeper strategic directions and dimensions, and emerging consumer electronics partnerships and mutually beneficial cost reductions. appliances, as well as other new and existing applications for • All drive makers (and OEMs) must realize that cost will RDDs, should give drive manufacturers enduring opportunities determine overall corporate profitability to a much greater for more sane and lucrative engagements with major degree than technology delivered for a certain price. Price customers. declines are inevitable, and obtaining even marginal premiums for advanced RDD and other mainstream A recent industry rallying cry and buzz-phrase seems to be: computing technologies has become next to impossible. The “Thirty gigabytes for thirty bucks!” Let us assume that some day lowest-cost manufacturers will gain an increasing advantage. But quality cannot be sacrificed for the sake of in the near-distant future we can reliably produce a 30-GB cost; on the contrary, quality and reliability at every level device for a burdened cost of $30. Will we sell this hypothetical must be enhanced. product for $45, $39, $35, $32 or (God help us) $29? We need to remember that the choice really is (to a large degree) • Manufacturing flexibility—the ability to quickly ramp or ours to make. We can have healthy (even fierce) competition decrease production rates (to satisfy unexpected upsides in customer demand or to minimize costly inventory exposure), without merciless and irrational bloodletting. as well as the ability to quickly change production line configurations to make different drive families or variable Dataquest believes that this industry can transform many of the drive capacities—will be crucial for survival. All drive makers debilitating ways in which it has (unfortunately) chosen to do must increase their operational efficiencies and flexibility. business in the past. The drive makers must realize that it is in • All drive makers need to determine how to engage only in their power to create—with patience and foresight, and within those battles which can be won (or, at the very least, the legal limits of free enterprise—markets in which pricing can survived) and how to avoid those battles which should not be more stable. Until executives in the RDD industry wisely use even be fought. this power to generate attainable profits (and pay less attention to the evanescent grail of market share gains), earnings will be • The legacies of “technology reigns” and “greed is good” have not generated any deep or enduring relationships (to stifled, and the drive makers will find themselves mired in their Dataquest’s knowledge). Notwithstanding Seagate’s usual quandary of being unable to make a decent and prolonged dominance in the enterprise markets (which has deserved income from their amazing ability to deliver almost declined considerably from the high pinnacle—greater than magical advances in a necessary technology. 60 percent—Seagate commanded in the early-to-mid 1990s) and IBM’s Herculean efforts to maintain a lead in areal

22 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 Exclusive Opportunity For DISKCON USA Exhibitors

Affordable Advertising Opportunities Available to DISKCON USA 2000 Exhibitors

Have your corporate message viewed by every DISKCON attendee by advertising in the official Show Directory. We distribute the directory to every registering attendee and also provide copies at literature kiosks throughout the Convention Center. This colorful directory provides exhibitors with the perfect opportunity to showcase their products economically. Four-color ads are priced at only $995 for a full-page placement, and grayscale versions may be purchased for $845. To guarantee visibility as DISKCON attendees thumb through the directory, print your ad on heavier cover stock; a full-page 4-color ad printed on heavier cover stock costs $1,800.

Leave a lasting impression of your company and place your corporate logo with your directory listing. This advertising opportunity is affordable at $75.

Exhibitors: don’t forget to submit your corporate product descriptions that will be printed in the show directory.

Reserve your space today! Contact IDEMA’s Show Group, 408.492.1436, for additional information and an ad insertion form. Artwork is due July 15th.

Build excitement about your company at DISKCON USA with a banner ad on the IDEMA website.

Don’t pass up this exclusive opportunity to generate traffic to your booth and build awareness about your company’s new product offerings at DISKCON USA 2000. Last year over 80 percent of the attendees registered online, and during the month of September the website received 54,242 hits, so your banner ad is guaranteed to be seen by the industry’s key decision makers, including corporate executives, buyers, sales executives, and engineers.

Positioned for high impact on the navigation bar, banner ads are ideal for inviting DISKCON USA attendees to visit your booth, attend product demonstrations, or for showcasing your key products and services. And with only two ads per page, your message is sure to get the attention it deserves!

Only DISKCON USA exhibitors (who are IDEMA members) may take advantage of this exclusive opportunity. Space is limited, so don’t delay. Contact Creative Director, Chris Carrig, at [email protected] to reserve your banner ad space today.

Banner ads in the DISKCON section of the IDEMA website will be posted from July through September. Major advertisers in INSIGHT are entitled to receive 25 percent off listed prices.

DISKCON Home Page: $1,000 (one position left) DISKCON USA Home Page: $1,000 (one position left) DISKCON USA Registration Page: $1,000 (one position left) Charity Golf Tournament Page: $800 Technical Conference Page: $800 Technical Education Page: $550 Other Pages: $450

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 23 Gary Davis, Davis Consultants Asia Sdn. Bhd.

Could you elaborate on the International Why do you think IDEMA membership is Executive Committee (IEC) as to its function, important? the members, past/upcoming activities, etc.? As to the benefits of membership, I think they The role of the International Executive Committee is are self evident. But on a longer-view basis it to examine how we may organize to be a truly occurs to me that disk drives are going to play a global association. We have been on a major big role in a major shift in the way that we use expansion of member services in Southeast Asia computers, or perhaps a better way to say it is, with much more to come. Our markets are truly in the way we distribute information. I think it is international. appropriate to have an industry association that will continue efforts that result in better commu- How have you contributed to the success of nication, higher education levels, more defined the IEC? Would you change/add anything to standards, and a greater awareness of the the IEC, and if so, what? importance of our technologies to society as a It is too premature to call the IEC a success. We whole. have much to consider and the geographic dispersion of the committee makes meeting As an IDEMA volunteer, what have you problematic. However, we have made progress in done specifically to increase awareness defining the ways that IDEMA could progress to about the data storage industry and issues becoming a more global organization. Insofar as relating to magnetic recording my individual contribution, I believe it is influenced technology? by my experience with the dynamics of the I continue to meet with organizations in Asia and production side of our industry in Asia, coupled always have an extra copy of INSIGHT with me. with the experience I had earlier in my career I am frequently surprised at how little some of closer to the design centers and markets in the the folks in our business know about IDEMA and United States and Japan. It has served to broaden the services we offer. This is especially true my view about the differentiation of needs, further down the supply chain. We still have depending on the organization’s charter. I hope I much room for growth in membership and will be able to help IDEMA translate that into participation, in my opinion. universally attractive member services. Our business has changed, with operations in Asia Gary N. Davis is the principal consultant of Davis Consultants Asia. Mr. Davis has 29 years of experience taking on a greater strategic role then ever. In in the data storage industry, including senior marketing addition, we see an increase in design influence positions with Perkin-Elmer Corporation’s Memory here. Finally, buying practices in our industry have Products Division, Spectra Logic Corporation, and Eikon Inc. Prior to establishing Davis Consultants in 1993, shifted to allow Asia manufacturing locations more Mr. Davis held the position of Director of Sales at decision making to accommodate the extremely Cambrian Systems Inc., a supplier of test equipment to fast pace of change our industry is famous for. the disk drive industry. Mr. Davis is a member of the International Executive Committee of IDEMA as well as a member of the management committee of IDEMA Asia-Pacific, and Chairman of the IDEMA Malaysia Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the American Chamber of Commerce (Malaysia), the American Electronics Association (AEA), and the Security Advisory Committee of the American Embassy, Kuala Lumpur, U.S. State Department, Office of Consular Services.

24 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 Eastman Chemical Company Ad LUCENT TEC CHNOLOGIES IDEMA has an active Standards Program with more Optical Inspection Subcommittee than 20 worldwide committees, subcommittees, and Next Meeting: July 20, 2000, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. taskforces covering critical issues facing the data The subcommittee has sent an updated list of storage industry today. Members are encouraged definitions out to ballot as an updated standards to take an active role in the development of document in the IDEMA Standards Binder. The industry standards by attending meetings and definitions need some discussion, due to negative participating in technical symposia offered votes, before the balloting process can be throughout the year. completed. The subcommittee is also working to update the remainder of the definitions to send to Check the IDEMA website at www.idema.org for the balloting process upcoming standards meetings, agendas and directions. All meetings are held at the IDEMA Emitted Shock & Vibration Committee office, 3255 Scott Blvd., Suite. 2-102, Santa Clara, Next Meeting: August 15, 2000, 9 a.m. to noon Calif. (unless otherwise indicated). The committee is developing a useful specification that defines the vibration and shock energy Disk/Substrates Committee emitted by a storage device and transmitted to the Next Meeting: TBD housing supporting the device. The committee has The committee, in order to keep current with new a call out to anyone or any company that can standards and with changes in the industry, is supply working disk drives for use in testing. investigating the possibility of exploring a mid-size substrate (70–75 mm). Check the IDEMA website at Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) www.idema.org for information on a future Committee workshop. Next Meeting: TBD The committee is working to establish standards Lube Thickness & Contact Start/Stop (CSS) that will address water recycling and usage. Testing Subcommittee Next Meeting: July 26, 2000, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Energy Efficiency Subcommittee The subcommittee has completed work on a set of Next Meeting: TBD terms and definitions for lube thickness, contact The subcommittee is progressing on a proposal start/stop (CSS), and laser bump heights. These for measuring power consumption of a hard disk definitions were sent out for ballot in May. The drive (i.e., watts per gig). The members of the subcommittee continues its work on three test subcommittee are focusing on developing explicit methods: 1) Method for Measuring the Thickness of definitions for each variable, and how each is Bonded Lubricant on Disk, 2) Lubricant measured. The subcommittee should have a Measurement Method, 3) Bulk Characterization document ready to send to ballot by mid-2000. Method. ESD Committee Disk Magnetics Subcommittee Next Meeting: July 20, 2000, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Next Meeting: July 20, 2000, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The General Practices with GMR/MR Heads has (Conference call information to follow) passed the balloting process and is now the first The subcommittee is re-balloting the Disk official ESD Committee standard (#S01-00). The Magnetometer Pilot Study. The Study had three subcommittee continues to work on four other goals: 1) Determine single-lab and multi-lab proposals: 1) Tweezers; 2) MR and GMR Heads— correlation of magnetometers on selected samples ESD Testing; 3) ESD Materials for MR and GMR among a limited number of laboratories; 2) Heads; and 4) Packaging for Disk Drive Support development of an IDEMA magnetometer Components. The present focus is to determine a test method for magnetic remanence, coercivity and measurement of ESD for tweezers. remanent coercivity; and 3) Determine the need for full-scale, round-robin test using the new test method. There has been considerable Standards discussion between committee members in Manager, Japan and the United States regarding Kristen Montan sample size and specifics in wording. To 408.330.8109 ensure an international standard, the committee has decided to re-ballot this document.

28 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 Praxair Ad

HDD Reliability Committee Microcontamination Committee Next Meeting: July 20, 2000, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Next Meeting: July 27, 2000, 9 a.m. to noon The committee is working on developing Benchmark Reliability The committee has developed a survey that will be sent to Tests for HDDs used in desktop and portable computer IDEMA members to elicit new topics for the committee to markets. They are also developing an AFR Summary document pursue; for more information, contact Kristen Montan at containing philosophy and mathematics regarding AFR, AFP 408.330.8109. The committee continues working on the and ARR. On completion, the AFR Summary document will be following issues: “Particulate Cleanup Test For Hard Disk published online at www.idema.org. Drives.” This ballot is now in procedural-review process. The committee is discussing development of a standard on Heads Committee “Outgassing Analysis for Running Drives by GC-MS.” The committee is also studying the following proposals: 1) Dynamic Next Meeting: August 24, 2000, 9 a.m. to noon Headspace/Cryogenics, 2) Online Analysis of HDD Heads The committee passed the Femto Transducer ballot, now part (Sliders) Using ION Chromatography, 3) ICP-MS-Metals, 4) of the IDEMA Standards Binder. After discussion of the Femto Sample Preparation for SEM Analysis. Bond Pad Location ballot, it was decided to table this item until the industry moves closer to widespread use of the femto Cleanroom Contamination Subcommittee measurement. There is a white paper currently in development; watch the website for its publication. On Jan. 21, 2000, the Next Meeting: TBD committee passed the Femto Head Pinout and Polarity The subcommittee has begun work on a proposal for Convention ballot, now part of the IDEMA Standards Binder. Guidelines for Contamination Control in Disk Drive Cleanrooms and Controlled Environments. This proposal will outline how to build, use, operate, and monitor disk drive industry cleanrooms.

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 29 Like the colorful chameleon that is forever changing its appearance to adapt to its surroundings, IDEMA too is changing to meet the dynamic needs of its worldwide membership. In 1999 we added new technical courses to our education program, expanded our website to include online registration and standards information, and offered symposia in Singapore and Malaysia. For a chameleon, the ability to change is essential for survival—can’t the same be said for our industry?

Every year IDEMA surveys its members at DISKCON USA to find out what you value about IDEMA membership. We consistently hear that the promotional and educational opportunities are tops on everyone’s list. Our goal is to provide services that best represent our members’ needs. In response to the information received through our survey process, we have upgraded and improved several areas of member promotion and technical education.

Member Promotion: In previous issues of INSIGHT, we merely listed new members to IDEMA since the prior issue. However, starting with this issue—as our way of putting out the welcome mat— we will also begin spotlighting our new corporate members by including their company profiles from the online Membership Directory. We encourage new members to set up their online profiles as soon as possible, and to keep the information current with organizational changes as they occur. New university and individual members will also be listed in this section (by name only). By taking advantage of this membership feature, new members benefit by receiving increased exposure in INSIGHT. All members benefit by being able to manage their own information (addresses, phone numbers, contacts, profiles, etc.) themselves, and by the fact that the company information they maintain online will also be utilized for the annual Membership Directory (printed annually for distribution at DISKCON USA).

Technical Education: Dr. Sally Bryant, Director of Education, continuously works with industry leaders to develop educational classes that meet the needs of our ever-changing industry. Classes listed on our website are typically held at the IDEMA headquarters (located in Santa Clara, CA), but can also be held on-site for any of our members. In addition, on-site classes can be customized to include company products and tailored for specific skill levels—with a variety of high-quality classes to choose from, IDEMA’s technical education program will help you keep pace, and possibly take the lead, in this dynamic and competitive industry. If you’re interested in advancing your knowledge about the latest technologies driving the data storage industry, contact Sally (408.330.8106 or [email protected]) to learn more about the technical education program and/or to schedule an on-site class.

We hope that you will take advantage of the many features and benefits that IDEMA works so hard to provide each year. For detailed information about membership at IDEMA, visit us online at www.idema.org. If you feel your employees would find value in having us give an on-site presen- tation of the many features and benefits that membership in And Now a Word to our Sponsors… IDEMA provides, gives IDEMA would like to acknowledge and thank the following us a call—it’s our job sponsors: to make your job easier. Birkenstock—for donating drawing prizes for the ESD Extravaganza on April 18–19, 2000 in Santa Clara, CA.

Director of Guzik Technical Enterprises—for sponsoring the coffee breaks atr Services, the recent DISKCON Japan Disk Forum. Debbie Lee 408.330.8108 Morning Planet—for providing wine at the recent Quarterly Dinner Meeting on May 25, 2000 in Santa Clara, CA.

NHK International Corporation—for donating golf prizes at the Colorado Open Golf Tournament (held in conjunction with the Tribology Symposium) on June 9, 2000 in Longmont, CO.

30 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 newprofilesprofiles member In previous issues of INSIGHT, we merely listed new members to IDEMA since the prior issue. However, starting with this issue—as our way of putting out the welcome mat—we will also begin spotlighting new corporate members by including company profiles from the online Membership Directory. We encourage new members to set up their online profiles as soon as possible upon joining IDEMA, and to keep the information current with organizational changes as they occur. We are pleased to announce the 18 newest members to the IDEMA family of data storage professionals (and the names of their corporate contact):

2Rite Corporation and development. Microwave used capital equipment, Product summary: Dennis Saxby circuits and interconnect including internal redeploy- Business and technical 6116 Highway 9, Suite 3 assemblies. ment, negotiated bid and consultants/conference Felton, CA 95018-9709 online/offline auctions. By organizers. combining conventional (t) 831-335-9710 AssetTRADE (f) 831-335-9711 marketing techniques with e- Robert Specht Infolytica [email protected] commerce technology, 1016 West 9th Avenue Corporation www.2rite.com AssetTRADE helps used King of Prussia, PA 19406 equipment sellers connect Max Zinger (t) 610-992-1900 300 Leo Pariseau, #2222 Product summary: directly with used equipment (f) 610-992-1917 Montreal, Quebec H2W 2P4 Contract product buyers, which benefits both [email protected] Canada development for magnetic parties. Buyers looking to add www.assettrade.com (t) 514-849-8752 recording electronic production capacity quickly (f) 514-849-4239 hardware and systems. can identify proven Product summary: [email protected] Specialized test and production equipment and AssetTRADE is a full-service measurement equipment for machine tools from a provider of asset redisposi- Product summary: magnetic recording research worldwide base of sellers. tion services for sellers of “Magnet,” electromagnetic simulation finite element Chiba Precision Co., software. Ltd. Itsuro Ishii Daiei Funabashi Bldg. Katz Analytical 1-26-2, Honcho Services Avery Funabashi, Chiba 273-0005 Jennifer Mathias Japan 8330 Commerce Drive (t) 011-81-47-422-7911 Chanhassen, MN 55317 (f) 011-81-47-422-7539 (t) 952-361-5570 Dennison Ad (f) 952-361-5571 [email protected] www.chiba-seimitsu.co.jp [email protected] www.katzlabs.com Product summary: Precision motors, actuators Product summary: and spindles for disk test Cleanliness testing (including systems. NVR/FTIR, ionic contamina- tion, outgassing, LPC, and more), failure analysis and Gorham Advanced materials characterization. Materials Andrew Nyce 211 Mosher Road MicroPhysics, Inc. Gorham, MA 04038 David Wilkey (t) 207-892-5445 5441 Avenida Encinas, #A (f) 207-892-2210 Carlsbad, CA 92008 [email protected] (t) 760-929-1750 www.goradv.com (f) 760-929-1760 [email protected] www.microphysics.com

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 31 newprofilesprofiles member

linewidth measurement auditing kits. NEXT-1 cross-sectioning Product summary: systems and defect inspection system for SEM and TEM MicroPhysics manufactures systems for lithography QRP, Inc. sample preparation offers dynamic hard disk drive process monitoring. Laurie Lee Casselman fast “straight-to-the-point” head testers and tape head P.O. Box 28802 0.1 micron accuracy. This testers for R&D and pro- Tucson, AZ 85726-8802 system dramatically reduces duction purposes. We also PPI Technologies, (t) 520-790-3533 sample preparation time, manufacture head-to- media Inc. (f) 520-790-0811 greatly improves repeatabil- interface spacing/flying- Phillip Peek [email protected] ity, and eliminates the risk of height analysis testers for 3388 Mike Collins Drive www.qrpgloves.com missing the target. both hard disk drives and Eagan, MN 55121 tape drives. (t) 651-452-1318 Product summary: QRP, (f) 651-452-1421 Inc. is a leading independent Seiko Instruments [email protected] supplier of gloves and USA—Advanced Morning Planet www.ppitech.com fingercots for use in high Mfg. Tech. Paul Newman technology industries and Everette Phillips 119 Minnis Circle Product summary: PPI cleanrooms. An extensive 2990 W. Lomita Blvd. Milpitas, CA 95035 manufactures wet processing offering of products is Torrance, CA 90505 (t) 408-945-9411 systems for precision highlighted by Q-SeriesTM (t) 310-517-7859 (f) 408-945-9403 cleaning, slider processing nitrile, Hi-Pro™ BioTek® and (f) 310-517-8158 [email protected] (cleaning, etching, debond- PolyTuff® brands. QRP Inc. [email protected] www.morningplanet.com ing), disk cleaning, wafer has been protecting people, www.seikorobots.com processing, etching, products and processes Product summary: stripping, and plating. worldwide for 25 years. Parent company: Cutting-edge Internet Automated, semi-automated Seiko Instruments Inc. Solutions Provider, with and manual systems. Makuhari, Japan Sagitta USA, Inc. solutions ranging from Ultrasonics, high-pressure Business-to-Business, E- spray, contact cleaning, Tony Ruffini Product summary: Seiko Commerce, Portals to megasonics, etching and 2910 Stevens Creek Blvd., Instruments advanced E-Commerce, and corporate stripping baths, quick dump, Suite 109 manufacturing technology websites. spray, cascade rinses, hot air, San Jose, CA 95128 and assembly equipment nitrogen, and vacuum dryers. (t) 408-390-3066 group provide a variety of Precision tooling and fixtures, [email protected] automation services from a Nanometrics, Inc. cleanroom equipment, and www.sagitta-usa.com complete line of precision, Roger Ingalls process support equipment. clean, and ESD-rated robots 310 DeGuigne Drive Consulting services and Parent company: to referrals for automation Sunnyvale, CA 94086 process development. Sagitta ES, Ltd services through a network of (t) 408-746-1600 Ramat-Gan, Israel system integrators to special (f) 408-720-0196 equipment designed specifi- [email protected] Prostat Corporation Product summary: Sagitta cally for HGA, HSA and www.nanometrics.com Kim Becker offers automatic sample HDD assembly. Seiko also 1072 Tower Lane preparation solutions for provides services for design Product summary: Bensenville, IL 60106 SEM, TEM and Surface for automation. Seiko has Supplies non-contact (t) 630-238-8883 Analysis. The systems use on- related groups providing metrology equipment to (f) 630-238-9717 line video microscopy, motors, bearing and other semiconductor process [email protected] robotics and submicron components for hard drives. equipment/materials, flat www.prostatcorp.com polishing technology (SMPT) panel display and magnetic to provide fully automated head manufacturers. Primary Product summary: Prostat sample preparation. The Small Precision Tools products include thin film Corporation manufactures Henk Esmeyer metrology systems (using electrostatic auditing 1330 Clegg Street broadband reflectometry, equipment and integrated Petaluma, CA 94954 spectroscopic ellipsometry, (t) 707-765-4545 and FTIR reflectometry), (f) 707-778-2271 overlay registration/optical

32 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 Seagate AD

newprofilesprofiles member [email protected] Mike Bergkamp USA Tolerance Ring, a may be subjected to. www.smallprecisiontools.com 304 Turquoise Street cylindrical band of stainless steel into which is formed a Milpitas, CA 95035-5431 Z-Tek, Inc. Parent company: (t) 408-935-0900 row of precise corrugations Bryan Clark SPT Roth Group (f) 408-935-0100 that traverse the width of the 47825 Warm Springs Blvd. Fabrikstrasse 23, CH-3250 [email protected] band is used to retain the Fremont, CA 94539 Lyss, Switzerland www.todacitron.com bearing cartridge into the actuator arm of a hard disk (t) 510-687-0520 (f) 510-687-0528 Product summary: Tools Product summary: drive (HDD). The corruga- [email protected] for the disk drive industry for Microdisk development and tions or “waves” that traverse www.z-tek.com ultrasonic bonding and ball manufacturing. across the width/vertical bumping at the slider and height of the tolerance ring pre-amps. Die and wire create what is essentially a Product summary: Disk test bonding tools for the USA Tolerance Rings press fit by allowing the and measuring equipment, semiconductor industry. Joseph C. Trainer waves, acting as radial including high-speed Precision specialty products 370 Sullivan Way springs, to be compressed. It automation, optical test, and for the telecommunication West Trenton, NJ 08628 is this function that allows the other “plug-and-play” tester and medical industries. (t) 609-882-8391 tolerance rings to retain the upgrades. (f) 609-538-1110 cartridge into the e-block in [email protected] the vertical and horizontal Toda Citron www.usatolerancerings.com planes at a level several Technologies times greater than any Product summary: The external loads that the unit

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 33 Precision Cleaning Process and Equipment Technology Enabling Continuous Cost Reduction for HDD Media Manufacturers

By Dave Frost and Yassin Mehmandoust, Oliver Design, Inc.

Introduction additional defect reduction and yield improvement. Table The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in areal 1 gives a possible roadmap for cleaning requirements; density of the hard disk drive (HDD) industry continues however, these requirements would change with addi- to accelerate due to the continued advances in magnetic tional acceleration in the CAGR in areal density. recording and related component technology. In the early 90’s, IBM pioneered the use of magneto-resistive One important objective of any HDD media manufactur- (MR) head technology, which started the trend of contin- ing organization is to implement enhanced precision ually increasing the CAGR in areal density. By the cleaning processes and equipment that allow for increas- mid-90s, after the volume production and commercializa- ing consistency and reducing costs. Precision cleaning will tion of MR technology, the CAGR in areal density continue to be a driving force in reducing costs for HDD accelerated from 30% to 60%. media manufacturers. This article will provide an over- view of the technology involved in cleaning high- Today, with the industry fully transitioning to gigantic performance HDD media. magneto-resistive (GMR) head technology, again pioneered by IBM, the current CAGR in areal density is Defects and Defect Adhesion still accelerating and is above an astounding 100%, Killer defects (those causing complete rejection in quality) meaning that storage capacity will more than double can be quantified in two categories. One killer defect every year. This now not only allows for companies to category is micron and sub-micron particles that adhere increase drive capacities, but also allows for the elimina- to the surface of the disk by several means, such as van tion of certain components at a stated capacity as areal der Waals forces, capillary forces, chemical bonding density increases, thus reducing costs. Because the HDD and/or electrostatic forces. Another killer defect is very industry is essentially a commodity market, costs and small organic films or particles. For simplicity, the article reducing costs are paramount in competing successfully. will refer to a defect as belonging to one or both cate- gories. Due to the strong emphasis on cost reduction and the continued acceleration of the CAGR in areal density, the Micron-sized particles can be detrimental to the quality focus on defect reduction in the production of HDD of the sputtered magnetic film’s ability to adhere to the media has never been greater. This is because defects media surface; they can also cause a fatal head crash at directly influence yield, and yield directly impacts cost. final test. As where a single (1–3) micron size particle can For example, a 1% in yield improvement will save be fatal, several (.1–.5) sub-micron size particles will not; approximately $.05 per disk, or $50 thousand per however, they will cause unacceptable bit defects and/or million disks shipped. For those companies shipping 10 cause other defect issues. These defects can cause very million disks per quarter, a savings of more than $2.0 unpredictable rates of film delamination because the million per year is achievable with a 1% yield improve- sputtered magnetic films are very reactive to many ment. This savings can be even more substantial with materials. Additionally, they are extremely detrimental because they can grow in size over time, are very difficult to detect, and usually only become apparent after the Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 media is tested or shipped. Measurable Defect Size .8 .5 .5 .3 .2 .1 Defect Origins and Removal Amount Allowed/Surface <5 <3 <2 <2 <2 <2 The defects are brought into the system on the surface of the disk by several means, such as in the form of residual Organic Residue Allowed 0 0 0 0 0 0 slurry from the preceding polishing or texturing process step. Another is from the particles electrostatically Table 1. HDD Media Defectivity Roadmap for 1998–2003, adhered to the surface from the cleanroom and operator Oliver Design, Inc. environmental influences.

34 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 Oryx Ad

Another important contributor to particle generation is provide for a large “Process Window” from which to from the cleaning system itself generating particles from operate within, such that high degree of process capabil- poor mechanical design such as insufficient filtration, ity will provide for easy statistical process control and mechanical rubbing, or plumbing “dead legs” which can repeatability. cause bacteria or microbial organisms generation. All these design issues can be resolved through appropriate Mechanical brush scrubbing: Brush scrubbing is design engineering strategies and implementation. considered one of the most effective methods for removing micron and sub-micron sized defects. Brush A number of technologies are available to remove the scrubbing has evolved over the years, and current brush many types of defects from the surface of the media, such scrubbing technology has excellent PRE when time is as mechanical brush scrubbing, ultrasonic immersion, and considered (Figure 1). Brush particle contact, fluid viscous shear, and solution characteristics are the major megasonic immersion. Regardless of the technology used, removal mechanisms in brush scrubbing technology. the intent is to physically and/or chemically counteract the adhesion force on the defect, or chemically transform Primary forces influencing effective PRE for brush the defect to a soluble species and then effectively remove scrubbing include scrubbing time, brush speed, brush the defect from the system. The technology chosen should compression, disk speed, solution characteristics, brush be done in order to maximize particle removal efficiency material, brush/solution flow dynamics, and disk/brush (PRE) at the lowest cost. PRE is a percentage and is interface design. defined as the measured number of particles removed after the process divided by the measured number of Many advances have occurred that increase the level of particles existing before the process multiplied by 100. particle removal capability, reduce scratching, and The PRE percentage is a useful measurement in determin- increase brush life such as the use of improved Polyvinyl ing the “cleanability” of a particular cleaning process. Alcohol (PVA) brushes, flow-through mandrels (Figures 2 and 3), and cascade brush scrubbing. Cascade brush The right combination of technologies should also continued on page 36

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 35 continued from page 35 cavitational forces per surface area. In general, higher frequencies (≥104 kHz) are better for PRE and surface scrubbing is a recent improvement in brush scrubbing pitting. Lower frequency (<104 kHz) is more prone to technology that is beneficial in both performance and surface pitting damage. Solution characteristics also cost. By translating the disk through a series of continu- heavily influence surface damage. ally cleaner PVA brushes (Figure 4), this technology decouples scrub time from throughput. This allows for The primary forces influencing effective PRE for ultra- longer scrub times, which ensure reduced defect counts sonic cleaning are: transducer frequency (Figure 5) and while maintaining high throughputs and further reducing physical placement in tank, power density, time, tempera- costs. The continuous improving nature of brush ture (Figure 6), flow rate (Figure 7), solution scrubbing technology ensures it will be used for the next characteristics, tank geometry and material selection. generation of media in the foreseeable future. Megasonic cleaning: Megasonic cleaning is actually very Ultrasonic cleaning: Ultrasonic cleaning involves similar to ultrasonic cleaning technology (using a utilizing a transducer that converts electricity into high transducer to convert electricity into waves in an frequency (68, 104, 132, 170, 200, and 250 kHz) immersion tank), but is simply defined in the frequency ultrasound vibrations or waves in a heated (optional) region above 400 kHz and near 1 mHz. At these chemical tank to remove adhered particles. Particular frequency regions the energy essentially becomes a beam tank design considerations are important in order to that must be focused on the substrate or surface area to ensure effective flushing of the dislodged defect from the be cleaned, and will affect tank design and transducer surface (avoiding reattachment) and the system. It is placement. One limitation of megasonics is its line-of- crucial that the ultrasonic energy is equally distributed sight nature, such that anything in between the substrate throughout the tank. and the transducer can cause a masking effect.

The particle removal mechanism is from the cavitational Particle removal in megasonic cleaning relies on the pressure imparted on the particle by the highly concen- reduction of the boundary layer thickness on the trated imploding forces. Higher frequency ultrasonics are substrate and acoustic streaming in the tanks. Acoustic preferable, because they provide a greater number of streaming is the motion of fluid in a sound field. smaller cavitational forces per surface area. Lower Acoustic streaming velocities increase with increasing frequency ultrasonics have a smaller number of large frequency and power, but decreases with the kinematic viscosity of the solution, making choice in solution char- acteristics very important. Although megasonic frequency is much higher than ultrasonic frequency, cavitation still exists and plays an important role in particle removal.

Megasonic cleaning has proven to be beneficial in the removal of sub-micron particles and works very well as a complementary process step to ultrasonic cleaning. The primary forces influencing effective PRE for megasonic cleaning are: transducer frequency and physical placement in the tank, power density, time, temperature, flow rate, solution characteristics, tank geometry and material selection (Figure 8). Some suppliers of megason- Figure 1. Brush scrubbing has excellent PRE vs. scrub time. ics offer different types of transducer configurations that are pulsed in arrays or are on full time.

Drying Drying: The final process step in the cleaning is the rinsing and drying of the disk. There are several different technologies available, all with benefits and associated costs. As the last process in cleaning, drying should have a robust process capability and should at least be particle neutral (not add any particles). A drying process that is particle negative (capable of removing particles) is preferred, due to the fact the quality of rinse solutions can vary. A particle-negative drying process ensures that slight variations in rinsing quality prior to drying will be addressed. Figure 2. Flow-thru brush design improves flushing of defects. continued on page 38

36 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 5TH ANNUAL MARK GEENEN TECHNOLOGY FOR YOUTH CHARITYGOLFTOURNAMENT Sept. 18, 2000 Castlewood Country Club • Pleasanton, Calif. Team with IDEMA and Ronnie Lott to help educate underprivileged youth The tournament will kick off the week hope to make sure that each and of DISKCON USA, IDEMA’s annual every student who measures up to the tradeshow and technical conference challenge of going for a higher dedicated to the data storage education will have that opportunity. industry. For the fourth year IDEMA is honored to join forces with former IDEMA is pleased to offer its member San Francisco 49er (and recent Hall- companies the opportunity to increase of-Fame inductee) Ronnie Lott and his their visibility at this popular event by charity organization, All Stars Helping sponsoring holes, contests, range Kids (ASHK). balls, prizes, beverage carts, cocktail- hour, the awards banquet, and more This year Ronnie and ASHK have (all tax deductible)! Companies, as partnered with Shoot for the Stars, well as individuals, can help support Inc., a non-profit organization that ASHK and their after-school programs has developed an after-school by making a generous tax-deductible program for elementary students in cash donation. Sometimes more is Bay Area school districts reporting low definitely more. academic performance. This program has blossomed into the formation of The tournament will be in a scramble a privately run high school/middle format with a shotgun start at 12:15 school—Eastside College Preparatory p.m. The day will include golf cart, School—where students attend on full continental breakfast, box lunch, scholarships funded by donations contests, games, a raffle featuring from individuals, corporations, 49er memorabilia, and an awards foundations, and other private banquet where prizes and trophies sources. This year the school will be presented to the top teams celebrates its very first graduating and contest winners. Have a great class of eight students and here’s the time while golfing on one of two best part, every one of those students beautiful 18-hole courses, expand has already been accepted to major your networking circle of friends and universities—a first for all of their colleagues, and best of all, feel good families. about the fact that you’re enriching the lives of disadvantaged young- We are passionate about helping sters—feeling good has never been children less fortunate than others, easier! and your patronage is our most valuable asset—participate in this Space is limited, so reserve your year’s charity event, through tax- twosome/foursome online at deductible sponsorships and/or www.idema.org. Contact Debbie Lee donations, and contribute to the $1.2 at 408.330.8108 or [email protected] million needed annually to run for complete information regarding Eastside School. With your help we sponsorships.

IDEMA • 3255 Scott Blvd., Suite 2-102, Santa Clara, CA 95054-3013 fax: 408.492.1425 • phone: 408.330.8100 • www.idema.org

IDEMA and DISKCON are registered trademarks of the International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association. 6/2/00 Product names or brands used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies. July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 37 continued from page 36 Full integration of pre- and post-cleaning processes: Sub-stantial cost reductions are achievable when the pre- ceding circumferential polishing process is fully integrated with the cleaning system. All the benefits of IAOI apply and help further control and eliminate defects associated with polishing. Polishing defects can quickly be resolved and the process control can be improved, and any potential transfer or other handling- generated defects will also be eliminated. With cleaning systems capable of 2,000-disks-per-hour throughput, lower cost per disk associated with circumferential polishing at higher throughputs is significant. Figure 3. Flow-thru mandrel DI water flow direction. Further cost reductions are possible once the cleaning system is seamlessly integrated with the subsequent sput- tering step by eliminating exposure to the cleanroom environment and atmospheric moisture. The ability to transfer a clean, dry disk directly into a vacuum load lock via an inert dry environment eliminates much of the current defects generated after drying and prior to sput- tering. Figure 4. Cascade brush scrubbing translates the disk through a series of continually cleaner brushes. As HDD media manufacturers move toward fully imple- menting glass substrate technology, the elimination of certain process steps, such as electroless NiP plate and Laser texture, will allow them to further streamline the Spin Rinse Dryers, Hot IPA, Marangoni, and Hot DI process and provide additional cost reducing strategies in processes and equipment have been successfully imple- cleaning. mented in drying current high-performance media. Glass media presents several challenges, and is currently fully characterized and implemented in some, but not all of the above drying technologies. Glass cleaning continues to be an important focus of research and development for many media manufacturers.

Advanced Precision Cleaning Cost Reduction Strategies Inline Automated Optical Inspection (IAOI): It has become increasingly important to identify and isolate media defects in order to meet yield targets and reduce costs. Currently, off-line Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) is improving yields and providing cost savings. Off-line AOI is being evolved to further reduce costs. In- Figure 5. Effect of frequency, time, and solution on PRE. line automated optical inspection allows for the media to be immediately inspected, defects identified and the source traced, so that the problem can be corrected quickly. The more defect information that is quickly made available, the faster the corrective action will be taken, resulting in less down time and faster yield learning. Additionally, defective parts will be sorted out, resulting in only adding value to good media at the subsequent step.

The overriding benefits to IAOI are increased production rates, increased yields, improved quality, and most impor- tantly reduced operating cost. The initial cost of implementing an IAOI is substantial; however, the return on investment (ROI) is high and is easily justified, with Figure 6. Effect of time, temperature, and power at payback in a matter of months in high volume produc- 104 kHz on PRE. tion.

38 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 About the authors: Dave Frost is currently VP of Sales/Marketing at Oliver Design, Inc. He received his BSME from the University of Houston in 1983. He has over 16 years experience in the HDD industry, having worked at startup media manufacturers Domain Technology, Akashic Memories, and Komag. Prior to joining Oliver Design in 1997, he was Director of Sales, Marketing & Applications at Exclusive Design Company, an OEM disk manufacturing equipment company. Dave is the co- author of six patents pending in cleaning and polishing technology. He lives in San Jose, CA with his wife and two daughters.

Yassin Mehmandoust is the Director of Process Technology at Figure 7. Effect of time and recirculation flow rate on Oliver Design, Inc. He received his MSChE from the University PRE for four-sided weir tank. of Oklahoma in 1983. He has over 16 years in the HDD industry. Prior to joining Oliver Design in 1998, he was Director of Tribology at Stormedia and was in various senior R&D engineering management positions at Nashua, HMT, and Xidex DataDisk. Yassin has seven patents issued in the areas of Texture, Lubrication, Carbon sputtering, and Burnish/Buffing process and equipment technologies. He lives with his wife in Santa Cruz, CA.

About Oliver Design, Inc: Oliver Design, Inc. is a leading supplier of disk cleaning equipment, offering modular, fully automated systems and services to the worldwide data storage industry. The company also provides engineering consulting services in automation, equipment design, and manufacturing services for the global electronics industry. Oliver's World Wide Web address is www.oliverdesign.com.

Reprinted with permission from Edition 4 of datatech magazine. Copyright 2000 by ICG Publishing. Contact Paul Tate at 44-207-871-0123 or e-mail [email protected]. Figure 8. Effect of time, temperature, and solution Visit datatech’s website at www.datatech-online.com. on PRE for Megasonics.

Conclusion Precision cleaning is a yield-enhancing step and allows for reducing the defect count and ultimately reducing the cost of making high-performance media. Advanced precision cleaning equipment will continue to be an investment wisely made by HDD media manufacturers looking to improve performance, improve overall quality, and increase profitability.

References: 1. R. DeJule, “Trends in Wafer Cleaning,” Semiconductor International, (August 1998) pp. 64–68. 2. D. Cooper et. al., “Comparing the effectiveness of knobby and ridged post-CMP cleaning brushes,” Micro, (July/August 1999) p. 58. 3. Seagate Technology, Form 10-k report, (August 1999) pp. 3–9. 4. H. Hogan, “Disk Drive brace for living interesting times,” Cleanrooms, (Sept 1999) p. 15–16. 5. K. Bahten et. al., “Intermolecular Force Approach,” Rippey Corporation onsite presentation, (December 1998). 6. G. Dishon et al, “Online Integrated Metrology,” VMIC- CMP conference, Santa Clara, CA. p. 5. 7. A Busnaina, F. Dai, “Megasonic Cleaning,” Semiconductor International, (August 1997) pp. 85–89.

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 39 ION Systems AD

Visit us at CleanRooms/Datastor Asia tradeshow in Singapore on Aug. 1–4, 2000 (Booth Numbers 2206 and 2208) July/August 2000

July 10–14 Aug. 14–16 SEMICON WEST 2000 July 20 TMRC 2000, 11th San Francisco (July 10 & 11) IDEMA Quarterly Annual Magnetic and San Jose (July 13 & 14) Dinner Recording Conference For more information, visit No-host cocktails: 6 p.m. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. their website at: Dinner: 7 p.m. Santa Clara University, www.SamcoIntl.com. The Westin Hotel, Santa Santa Clara, CA Contact: Shahram Malek Clara, CA The topic of this year’s [email protected] Featuring Michael C. conference will be 408-734-0459 Ruettgers, President and magnetic recording CEO, EMC Corporation systems. In addition to Contact: Debbie Lee traditional topics such as July 17 [email protected] channel characterization, Advances in Servo 408-330-8108 equalization, detection, Technology—Keeping and timing recovery, Areal Density on Track special focus will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 1–4 given to topics of current This one-day IIST CleanRooms/ interest including iterative symposium will feature talks DataStor Asia 2000 decoding, high-data rate by industry experts who will 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. issues, and alternatives to focus on key technology Raffles City Convention longitudinal recording developments required to Center, Singapore such as perpendicular achieve the high-track For the rigid disk drive and optical. densities required for and contamination Contact: Kelly Linder tomorrow’s disk drives. control industries. More [email protected] Contact: Kelly Linder than 30 sessions offered. 408-554-6853 [email protected] Contact: Lisa Kimball 408-554-6853 [email protected] 603-891-0123

You can add your industry event to the IDEMA Don’t forget to tear out and display on your wall. Don’t online calendar. Visit www.idema.org and click on Events and then Industry Calendar in the navigation bar. You can add as many events as you wish along with a brief description OR referencing URL. Contact Chris Carrig ([email protected]) for additional information.

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 41 September 2000

Sept. 13 Sept. 18–19 Sept. 19 IDEMA HR Roundtable DISKCON USA— DISKCON USA— Meeting: New Standards Workshops Keynote Dinner Sept. 20 Incentive Plan A series of workshops The Westin Hotel, Santa DISKCON USA— Implementation (open to anyone Clara, CA Welcome Reception Join IDEMA (in the 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. interested in storage concourse area of the Contact: Sally Bryant standards) will be Michael Brown, San Jose Convention [email protected] presented by IDEMA’s Chairman and CEO of Center) for hors 408.330.8106 International Standards Quantum Corporation, Committees. will share his views on d’oeuvres and cocktails Contact: Kristen Montan current trends and oppor- after the first full day of Sept. 18 [email protected] tunities in the data exhibits. Contact: IDEMA Show DISKCON USA—Mark 408-330-8109 storage industry. Group Geenen Technology Contact: IDEMA Show [email protected] for Youth Charity Golf Group 408-492-1436 Tournament Sept. 19–21 [email protected] 12:15 p.m. DISKCON USA— 408-492-1436 Technical Enjoy a day of golf at the Sept. 25–27 5th annual Mark Geenen Conference Permanent Magnet Technology for Youth Our three-day Technical Sept. 20–21 Systems: From Charity Golf Tournament, Conference has been DISKCON USA— Concept Through held at the Castlewood expanded from five Exhibition Commercialization Country Club in sessions to nine. Experts See the latest products This conference will bring Pleasanton, CA. Help will discuss the challenges and technologies together system support this worthy facing industry innovators evolving in the data designers, manufacturers, organization and to achieve faster, better, storage industry, as well raw materials suppliers, contribute to a worthy and lower cost solutions. as the innovative processing and testing cause. New this year is a session companies that are equipment providers, and Contact: Debbie Lee featuring the best papers leading the way to the users of permanent [email protected] presented at IEEE’s next pinnacle—over 300 magnet systems. 408-330-8108 INTERMAG Toronto exhibitors signed up conference. already! Contact: Susan Whipkey Sept. 18–21 Contact: Kristen Montan Contact: IDEMA Show [email protected] 207-892-5445 DISKCON USA— [email protected] Group Technical Education 408-330-8109 [email protected] Classes 408-492-1436 Sixteen different technical education classes will be offered—a great way to keep pace with the basic technologies used in the data storage industry. Contact: Dr. Sally Bryant [email protected] 408-330-8106

42 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 Dupont Ad Symposium Planning Chair: Donald J. Perettie, Ph.D., ADMAT International

When was the Symposium Planning committee formed and what is it’s function? Who participates in this committee? The Symposium Planning committee was formed The Symposium Planning committee is currently over six years ago to develop and organize comprised of the following member volunteers: technical symposia and workshops worldwide. The committee has increased not only the number of 1. Tom Coughlin, Consultant symposia offered, but also the scope, to include a 2. Larry Eischen, IDEMA number of symposia offered throughout the Asia- 3. Yiao-Tee Hsia, Seagate Technology Pacific region. 4. Jacques Kools, Veeco Instruments, Inc. 5. Debbie Lee, IDEMA 6. Kristen Montan, IDEMA (Staff Liaison) Why do you think this committee is 7. Donald J. Perettie, ADMAT International (Chair) important? 8. Jim Ward, Komag Inc. It is important to support the educational needs of the members from a standards, technical, and new Is the committee lacking participation from topics point of view. As more and more of the a particular area and if so, where? data storage industry is moving to the Asia-Pacific Since the participants represent a number of region, this area will continue to become an special-interest groups from within the industry, all important focus and growth area for the aspects of the data storage industry are currently Symposium Planning committee. represented. However, as always, anyone interested may contribute ideas for topics and/or What were some of the main goals for 2000? speakers. Any goals for 2001? The goal of the Symposium Planning committee is Dr. Donald J. Perettie has served on the IDEMA to deliver high-quality, timely, and relevant Board of Directors since 1996, and the Executive symposia to our members. The topics are selected committee of the Board of Directors since 1999. He based on member input through surveys conducted is chairman of the Standards committee, at the symposia and at DISKCON. Disk/Substrates (Standards) committee and the Symposium Planning committee, as well as an What has the committee accomplished since active member on the Communications, Dinner, and it was formed in 1993? International Technical Sessions committees. He Since the committee was formed in 1993, the helped to organize new standards workshops in number of symposia offered has grown from 1–2 lube thickness and characterization, microcontami- per year to 4–6 per year. These symposia include nation, CSS testing, and ESD. These workshops all partnerships with the ESD Society to sponsor a serve to help educate industry professionals about tabletop tradeshow, a three-day traveling data storage issues and IDEMA’s standards symposium in Tokyo, Singapore, and Penang, and activities. Dr. Perettie has also helped pave the way an annual U.S. symposium in the Midwest to serve for IDEMA to present technical symposia in both IDEMA members located in that area. Topics Asia-Pacific and in Japan. covered over the past five years include: Understanding ESD in Magnetic Recording, Enabling Technology for Higher Areal Density, Requirements for High TPI Recording, and a variety of Tribology issues.

44 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 Data Storage AD Quarterly Dinner Meeting Summary John Gannon, president of the Hard Disk Drive Group of Quantum Corporation, was the guest speaker at the IDEMA Quarterly Meeting on May 25, 2000, Santa Clara, CA. A summary of his presentation follows below.

We have come through probably one of the darkest periods in Over 500 million pages of information are on the Internet with the history of the disk-drive industry. Profit has plummeted for over a million pages being added daily. Excite.com consumed drive manufacturers and severely for suppliers—billions of 49 terabytes of data in less than two years, Amazon.com dollars in market capitalization across all companies in this consumed 42 terabytes of data in less than six months, industry have been lost. Many suppliers in the drive business Mail.com consumed 28 terabytes of data in less than 45 days have been experiencing the same phenomena. First, the (28 terabytes of data represented one entire month’s traffic on market shifted to low-cost PCs, driven by companies wanting the Internet just one year prior). It’s estimated that, in the next to enter the industry and establish a mark for themselves. The 10 years, the Internet is going to grow from about 200 million market shifted to these low-cost PCs before cost structures were users to over a billion users, with many users having as many in place to support the prices that would be charged. as 10 IP addresses. The CIO of Merrill Lynch has estimated that over 75 percent of all money spent on computer hardware for At the same time, we got into some supply/demand the next five years will be spent on storage. The Intel server imbalances. There was a real shift as density improved, a shift segment is believed right now to fuel (or provide service for) to one- and two-platter drives that had far less parts and over 75 percent of the Internet servers. There is tremendous required far less production supply in the industry. It appears, opportunity for storage in that area—it’s been estimated that at least at the drive level, that we have begun that recovery. over 90 percent of all information created today is being fueled There’s been a more reasonable supply/demand situation over by the Internet. the past few quarters helped somewhat by various mis- executions—the balance remains tenuous. I’d like to spend a little time talking about the opportunity that we really have for tomorrow—segments emerging in new and Many of you are looking at the current situation with Intel multiple consumer electronics. We’ve heard plenty of talk and processors and wondering what effect it's going to have in the announcements about the opportunity for hard disk drives in next several months on the overall demand for product versus games. A new segment of the supply of product that we all have available. Basically, yes, products—PVRs and we’re in recovery mode, but fundamentally (at the drive level VCRs, PVRs and DVDs, particularly), nothing really has changed. There’s been no real and/or combination drive-maker consolidation in the industry. Some suppliers are products—have emerged The demand for our beginning to consolidate, but the recovery we’re seeing at the with multiple sources of drive level is really dependent upon the behavior of various digital-content storage. products, technology and participants in the industry. New companies will emerge. New business components remains The demand for our products, technology and components models will emerge. remains extremely strong. And I think there are three reasons Ultimately, there will be a for the strong demand. tremendous impact on extremely strong. We all advertisers and on content Number one (particularly in the United States), is that the providers. We know that need to do what we can to economy is pretty healthy. And then there are a few other digital content is going to factors that very specifically impact our industry. The first, of proliferate and that hard responsibly maintain a course, is the impact of the Internet. The second is the drives are really the emergence of another large-volume application for hard-drive technology we have today balance between supply technology—the application of hard drives in consumer to store and access that products. information. and demand, and that

requires prudent planning

instead of overly optimistic

planning.

46 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 In summary, the expansion of both the Internet and of this digital content has emerging applications for our industry that are way outside and beyond traditional computer business applications. To take advantage of these new market opportunities, new business models will be required. This consumer segment will be just as competitive as the hard-disk drive business we know today—it’s a very low- margin business, but it’s a business that if we structure our models correctly (and do forward- thinking on), we can become very successful in.

I think all of us need to do everything we can to Michael C. Ruettgers create excitement around this industry—critical for President & CEO, EMC Corporation attracting new talent to the industry (and to retain the existing talent already there). July 20, 2000 The Westin Hotel, Santa Clara, CA We all need to do what we can to responsibly No-host cocktails: 6 p.m. maintain a balance between supply and demand, Dinner:: 7 p.m. and that requires prudent planning instead of overly Individual: member $55 nonmember $65 optimistic planning. I would call for all of us in every Table (seats 10): member $500 nonmember $650 part of the industry to target large-share and large- volume gains, primarily through innovative product IDEMA is pleased to present EMC Corporation President and differentiation and execution that exceeds customer CEO, Michael C. Ruettgers, as the July 2000 Quarterly Dinner expectation. Meeting speaker. Under his leadership, EMC has transformed information storage from a passive container into the enabling In closing, as some of these new and emerging foundation of the Internet and the networked information segments evolve and become available to us, let’s economy. In so doing, EMC has expanded what was once a be prudent as we enter them and not be overly largely ignored IT niche into an immense market opportunity aggressive where there is really the opportunity for for EMC and a defining technology of the information higher margins. revolution.

Ruettgers has been with EMC since 1988, the past nine years as its CEO. Since his arrival, EMC’s global revenues have Transcription services provided by Word Power Plus, grown more than 50-fold to $6.7 billion in 1999, with net a tape transcription and editorial service company income exceeding $1 billion. Between 1997 and 1999, EMC’s for the disk drive industry. You can reach them at annual revenues more than doubled. 408.985.7241 or [email protected]. Ruettgers has built EMC into one of the most powerful high- tech franchises in the world. Red Herring magazine noted in its March 2000 issue that Wall Street analysts refer to EMC as “an 800-pound gorilla” and as “the Microsoft of the storage industry.” In 1998, Business Week named Ruettgers one of the “World’s Top 25 Executives.”

Ruettgers spent much of his early career with Raytheon, where he played a key role in the Patriot Missile Program. In May 1999, Babson College recognized Ruettgers for being an “information-age visionary” and presented him with the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. He holds a BS from Idaho State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

IDEMA has reserved a block of rooms at The Westin Hotel at the rate of $209/room. Call 408.986.0700 to make your reservation.

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 47 Today’s fast-paced storage industry requires employees to have current knowledge of industry products and their technologies. To help you keep current, IDEMA offers high-quality technical education classes worldwide, on-site and at IDEMA in Santa Clara, CA. These affordable, comprehensive classes offer storage professionals the technical information needed to keep pace in today’s dynamic disk drive industry. To learn more about IDEMA’s Education Program or to schedule an on-site class, contact Sally Bryant at 408.330.8106 or [email protected].

IDEMA Announces the 2000-2001 Fellowship Recipients

Each year IDEMA awards a total of $40,000 to the permeability of 1000, and a high roll-off top three students pursuing graduate degrees in the frequency of 1.5 GHz. The high-saturation area of magnetic recording. The fellowships are magnetization and high roll-off frequency will given to graduate students of member universities. make this Fe-Co-N material an excellent Students must be working in an area of study within candidate for future applications in magnetic the magnetic recording, data storage, or write heads and high-frequency inductors, etc. information storage technologies, and are They anticipate further study on the high- evaluated on the relevance of their research to the frequency performance of this material, and its advancement of science or technology in the field employment in write heads and high-frequency of data storage. IDEMA is pleased to announce the inductors. following 2000-2001 fellowship recipients: Second-Place Fellowship Award: First-Place Fellowship Award: Nianxiang Hongwei Song, Carnegie Mellon Sun, Stanford University University Nianxiang Sun has had a long-time interest in Hongwei Song received the second-place award magnetism. As a child, he conducted magnetic for his work aimed at developing advanced experiments using a magnet, sand, and his channels employing iterative soft decoding for mother’s oven. This interest has matured into his high-density data storage systems suffering from current work on soft magnetic materials with high low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). He is investigat- saturation magnetization. As a Ph.D. student at the ing the performance of various forms of Turbo Center for Research on Information Storage codes and Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) Materials (CRISM), he is working on finding new codes for recording channels. Turbo codes, that materials that break the widely accepted saturation have near optimum performance on additive magnetization limit of 21 kG of soft magnetic white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels, materials and enable extremely high areal densities stimulated a great flurry of research efforts in and high data rates for future magnetic recording. applying them to intersymbol interference (ISI) After one year of exploration, CRISM has success- channels such as data storage channels. In the fully synthesized a new Fe-Co-N soft magnetic wake of the significant potential of turbo codes, material, with a high-saturation magnetization of another class of codes (LDPC codes) exhibiting Director of approximately 24.5 kG and a hard axis coercivity similar characteristics and performance was Education, of 5 Oe. When sandwiched between two very rediscovered. These coding advances permit us Sally Bryant, thin permalloy layers (5 nm), the Fe-Co-N films to get closer to the theoretical Shannon capacity Ed.D. have a low coercivity of 0.6 Oe, an initial and simulations show that high-rate turbo codes, 408.330.8106

48 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 and LDPC codes with corresponding iterative decoding, can provide 4-6 dB of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gain when applied to Partial Response (PR) equalized recording channels. While this is promising, these codes are not ready for practical applications to data storage channels because several key issues remain unresolved. Hongwei’s research is upup focused on resolving these issues and developing advanced coming classes channels employing iterative equalization and decoding for register online at www.idema.org low SNR high-density data storage systems. Don’t get left behind! Plan now to attend one or more of the exciting classes (listed below) at Third-Place Fellowship Award: Baekho Heo, DISKCON USA—held Sept. 18-21 at the San Jose University of Washington Convention Center. With a variety of high-quality Baekho Heo was awarded the third-place award for his classes to choose from, including new classes on work on flow-induced disk vibration, also known as disk SAN, latest technical advances in disk drives, and flutter, of hard disk drives. This has become a major disk drive ICs, this year’s technical classes will challenge due to increased spin speed and track density. To help you keep pace in a dynamic and highly reduce flow-induced disk vibration, Baekho has developed a competitive industry. Velcro treatment inside base castings to modify turbulent layers. Both pressure and vibration measurements show that Monday, Sept. 18 the disk flutter can be reduced substantially. With the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Cutting Edge (NEW!) advancement in areal density, there is an accelerating trend to push for higher tracks per inch (TPI) by the hard disk 8 a.m. to noon, Disk Drive Basics drive industry. Taming vibration in hard disk drives is key to 8 a.m. to noon, Introduction to PRML achieving the high TPI goal. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Introduction to Disk Drive Interfaces You can learn more about these exciting research projects 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Media Manufacturing Basics by attending the University Forum Luncheon ($25 per person), presented by IDEMA on Sept. 20th from noon to 2 Tuesday, Sept. 19 p.m. during DISKCON USA. DISKCON USA will be held at the San Jose Convention Center during the week of Sept. 8 a.m. to noon, Understanding and Solving ESD 18th through the 21st. For more information and to register Problems in Magnetic Recording online, visit the IDEMA website at www.idema.org, or call 8 a.m. to noon, Storage Systems (SAN) Basics (NEW!) Sally Bryant at 408.330.8106. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Head Disk Interface 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Disk Drive Silicon (NEW!)

Wednesday, Sept. 20 8 a.m. to noon, Introduction to CD-ROM Advertisers Index 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Disk Drive Basics Veeco Process Equipment—www.veeco.com/cluster inside front cover Texas Instruments—www.ti.com/storage/SP4140/7064 page 11 Thursday, Sept. 21 Manufacturing Technology Inc. (MTI)—www.mtionline.com page 13 8 a.m. to noon, Storage Systems (SAN) Basics (NEW!) CDS Analytical, Inc. page 15 8 a.m. to noon, Introduction to GMR Head Technology Hewlett-Packard Company—www.jobs.hp.com page 19 8 a.m. to noon, Understanding and Solving ESD GE Micron Products—www.AbrasivesNet.com page 20 Problems in Magnetic Recording Eastman Chemical Company—www.eastman.com page 25 Lucent Technologies—www.lucent.com/micro/storage center spread 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Disk Drive Silicon (NEW!) Praxair Surface Technologies—www.praxair.com page 29 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Head Manufacturing Basics Avery Dennison—www.averydennison.com page 31 Seagate—www.seagate.com page 33 Oryx Advanced Materials, Inc.—www.oam-inc.com page 35 ION Systems—www.ion.com page 40 DuPont—www.dupont.com/vertrel page 43 PennWell page 45 EFD Inc.—www.efd-inc.com back cover

July/August 2000 • INSIGHT 49 DISKCON Japan 2000 Tatsuo Sugiura, IDEMA Japan Executive Director

Standing at the center of an almost dismantled and emptied exhibition hall, bathed in a twilight glow from the ceiling lights overhead, I realize that everything is finally over—both a feeling of satisfaction as well as a slight twinge of sadness.

Still lingering in my ear, the melody of auld lang syne. It was always a dream of mine to fill this huge exhibit hall, and now we’ve finally done it! This year, my long-cherished desire was fulfilled. Looking back over the history of DISKCON The number of exhibitors was 137 with 375 Japan, the first one took place in April of booths. Compared with the numbers from the 1993. The space of that exhibition was first exhibition, there were 2.7 times more confined to one-fourth of the small exhibit exhibitors, and 3.2 times more booths. More- hall at Harumi International Fairground in over, we added optical disc products—our goal Tokyo. The number of exhibitors was 51, to be the all-round storage device exhibition of with 117 booths. the future is now more fact than dream.

Since then, eight years have passed and We also had the International Disk Forum during during that time the International Fairground DISKCON Japan, held at the conference hall in in Tokyo was newly built and relocated to Tokyo Big Sight on both April 13 and 14. We Tokyo Big Sight at Ariake. The exhibition had more than 300 attendees for each of the itself has also grown from year to year, and sessions. We started with the memorable speech has deeply planted its roots within Japan’s of Mr. James N. Porter, titled “The Disk Drive data storage community. Many exhibitors Industry’s Dynamic Past—and Future.” Then and visitors from overseas also come to followed seven sessions of Marketing, Media DISKCON Japan in April, which has now Technology, Measurement Technology, New become the biggest event in the data Applications of HDD, Device Technology, and storage industry in Japan, second only to Head Technology. We also had a special speech DISKCON USA. from the Academy, presented by Dr. Kitsuregawa of Tokyo University.

We hosted a buffet dinner party at the Daiichi Hotel in Tokyo, inviting Forum attendees and top management from the exhibitors, with approxi- mately 280 people in attendance. We held many drawings during the party, with winners receiving disk drive units, invitations for a complementary stay at the Hakone Hot-Springs Hotel, Dinners for Two, and a copy of the newly published “Storage Terminology Dictionary,” edited by IDEMA Japan.

The end of the DISKCON Japan 2000 trade- show means the beginning of work on the tradeshow for next year. I pray for a prosperous DISKCON Japan tradeshow, for the year 2001.

50 INSIGHT • July/August 2000 innovation advancing disk drives—the desktop & beyond

DISKCON USA San Jose Convention Center San Jose, Calif. September 18-21, 2000

You are an innovator... you transcend the obvious solutions to bring the data storage industry to the next pinnacle. In order to do so, you need to hone the razor-sharp strategies that will aid you in the development and leveraging of your company’s innovative products. innovator

To keep current with the latest technologies and trends that are evolving in the data storage industry, you must attend IDEMA’s DISKCON USA—the world’s largest tradeshow serving the data storage industry. Experience the future in real time as you check out the hottest new products being exhibited. Talk with, and listen to, industry innovators and learn of trends and breaking developments in the data storage industry.

In addition to the exhibits, we also encourage you to attend other events that are held during the week of DISKCON. Our three-day innovator Technical Conference has been expanded from five sessions to nine. New this year is a session, featuring papers presented at the IEEE INTERMAG Toronto Conference, having maximum interest to DISKCON Calendar of Events attendees. Mark Geenen Technology for Youth Charity Golf For full DISKCON event details and to register online, visit Tournament, Sept. 18 www.idema.org. Education Classes, Sept. 18–21 Standards Workshops, Sept. 18–19 Keynote Dinner, Sept. 19 Michael Brown, Chairman and CEO, Quantum Corp. The Westin Hotel, Santa Clara, CA Technical Conference, Sept. 19–21 Exhibition, Sept. 20–21 Welcome Reception, Sept. 20

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IDEMA and DISKCON are registered trademarks of the International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association. 6/19/00 Product names or brands used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies. EFD AD

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