MICRO-ETCHING ON SYNTHETIC SAPPHIRE

Arnano has developed a unique technology with applications in archiving. The company engraves digital documents in analog format on a sapphire wafer that offers a lifetime of more than 2,000 years. The company also produces decorative engraved-sapphire parts for luxury timepieces.

Technology

Arnano’s products leverage several advanced processes, including microscopic engraving on precious (artificial sapphire) transparent substrates, thermosensitive lithography, direct laser writing, molecular bonding, and synthetic holography.

The company formed a joint lab with Leti in 2010 and holds licenses to around ten Leti patents. Arnano’s secure data archiving system entails micro-etching on a nanoform—a 200 mm sapphire wafer that can store the equivalent of 10,000 A4 pages, or a stack of paper 1.5 meters high! The stable, forgery-proof storage medium is waterproof and flame-resistant up to 1,200°C. The stored data is engraved in analog format at a reduced scale, making it directly readable.

The company’s decorative engraved-sapphire parts for luxury timepieces include watch faces, movements, crystals, and watch case backs. Arnano can engrave lines just one micron thick— competitors currently offer only 20-micron engraving—ideal for hiding information that can be used to identify fakes.