Six years after the companies foundation, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES now is putting the final stone to complete the product portfolio. After a two year development period the new replication system SUNLINE is launched to the optical disc industry, a completely new designed system for advanced optical media manufacturing. The machine will manufacture all of the various rewritable optical disc formats CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM and DVD+RW. These phase change discs are expected to replace the VCR tape for home video recording in the near future. Having SUNLINE in the product portfolio SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES now can provide production equipment for all CD and DVD formats.
The SUNLINE replication system is including all production steps from molding, sputtering, lacquering/bonding to UV-curing and testing.
The Range of Disc Products
The SUNLINE can produce all recordable optical disc formats.
CD-RW
There is a 4x and a 10x version currently available. Higher recording speeds are expected for 2002.
DVD-RW
Video recording disc from PIONEER. Approved by the DVD Forum and equipped with copy protection features. Currently 1x recording speed, new versions expected for 2002.
DVD-RAM
Video recording and data storage disc from PANASONIC. Approved by the DVD Forum and equipped with copy protection features. Currently 2x recording speed available.
DVD+RW
Video recording disc from PHILIPS and created outside the DVD Forum. No copy protection on the recorded disc but reject of copy protected discs. Up to 2.4x recording speed when writing with constant angular velocity.
All three DVD formats have 4.7GB per side and can hold 120 minutes of high resolution video. However they differ in the substrate structure and layer stack, the addressing information for the player and have different data transfer rates. Accordingly a different stamper is required for each format. DVD-RW and DVD+RW both allow 1000 time ovewriting and have similar layer stacks.
Therefore they can be produced on the same equipment. DVD-RAM uses more layers and different materials for achieving even 100.000 overwrite cycles. Accordingly a DVD-RAM disc needs a larger number of process stations for sputter deposition. For data storage purposes DVD-RAM has some advantages, nevertheless all three formats are equally suitable for video recording.
Sputtering
Sputtering is the key production step for all rewritable optical disc formats. Accordingly the MODULUS played also the dominant role in the design of the manufacturing line. The multi-cathode metallizer works with the well field proven SMART CATHODE .The unique cooling technology employed in the MODULUS makes it an unbeatable sputter system for temperature sensitive DVD substrates.
Field proven Components
Of course we took the opportunity to pick components from the SPACELINE, the market benchmark for DVD manufacturing. The entire bonding system is based on this machine. Even though the machine has an entirely new face, it is clearly standing in the tradition of the Singulus mechanical engineering.
Well prepared for the Future
There is common agreement on the importance of rewritable optical disc formats in the future. With the new SUNLINE SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES provides a production system to its customers, which can handle all formats and all future recording speed. This makes the investment a safe decision even when formats may change. The SUNLINE functionality, speed and design to cost set a new benchmark for the manufacturing equipment market.