Hitachi Maxell and Tokyo Institute of Technology announced the collaboratively development of ultra high capacity tape media with ultra-thin high-density nano-granular magnetic film.
Maxell and Tokyo Inst. Tech. achieved a much higher playback performance of ultra high capacity tape media with ultra-thin high-density nano-granular magnetic film than that of existing linear tape products. The tape media with ultra-thin high-density nano-granular magnetic film by using of facing targets sputtering method enables over 10 TB cartridges as a future product, after today?s coated tape media era, which is formed of nano-sized magnetic particle.
Today coated tape media are made by coating a magnetic layer with magnetic particles on a base film. For over 10 TB capacity per a cartridge, a particle size must be reduced to less 10 nanometer (nm) and coated on a plastic film with very thin thickness. However, coating method and evaporation process cannot be applicable to form such a thin layer by fine particle less than 10 nm at this moment.
The sputtering process used for the new tape media enables formation of a very thin recording layer on a film with a few nm sized magnetic materials, that allows over 10 TB capacity per a tape cartridge. The magnetic layer in an ultra-thin high-density nano-granular magnetic film is formed by using of facing targets sputtering method, which was originally invented by Assoc. Prof. Shigeki Nakagawa et al. of Tokyo Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Physical Electronics.
Maxell and Tokyo Inst. Tech. succeeded formation of nanometer-sized magnetic grains on a film substrate by combination of this new sputtering method in Tokyo Inst. Tech. and core technologies for magnetic tape design and experiences in Maxell. Evaluation of playback performance of the formed tape media shows twice signal to noise ratio (S/N ratio) and 30% high resolution comparing with present products such like LTO Ultrium 3 data cartridge and DLTtape S4 tape.
Maxell and Tokyo Inst. Tech. said that they would cooperate to make a storage tape product for huge capacity backup solution in the future.