Form of Support Agreement for Exchange Offer



 Exhibit 10.3 
 Hutchinson Technology Incorporated 
 40 West Highland Park Drive NE

 Hutchinson, MN 55350-9784 
 January 12, 2012 
  

	 	Re:	Support Agreement (this “Agreement”) regarding the exchange of Hutchinson Technology Incorporated’s 3.25% Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2026 (the
“Notes”) for new 8.50% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2017 (the “New Notes”) 

 Ladies and
Gentlemen: 
 Reference is hereby made to the term sheet attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Term Sheet”)
which contemplates an exchange and tender offer (the “Exchange and Tender Offer”) by the Company for all of the Notes and certain of the Company’s 8.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the “8.50% Notes”),
together with a rights offering (the “Rights Offering”) for units consisting of up to $40 million of New Notes and detachable warrants (the “Detachable Warrants”) issued by the Company, all on the terms contemplated
in the Term Sheet (notwithstanding the non-binding nature of the Term Sheet) and this Agreement. 
 By execution and delivery of
this Agreement, we hereby agree as follows: 
 1. Participation in the Exchange and Tender Offer and Rights Offering.

 Unless mutually agreed by the Company and the holder named on the signature pages hereto (the “Holder”), all
of the terms and conditions of the Exchange and Tender Offer, the Rights Offering and any and all other Transaction Documents (as defined below) shall be consistent with the terms and conditions set forth in the Term Sheet (notwithstanding the
nonbinding nature of the Term Sheet) and this Agreement, and, in each case, shall be reasonably acceptable to the Holder (as defined below) and the Company. Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, upon the terms and subject to the conditions
set forth in the Term Sheet, this 







  
Agreement and such other mutually acceptable terms provided in the Exchange and Tender Offer, the Rights Offering and the documents related thereto, in consideration of the promises and mutual
covenants and agreements herein contained, (i) the Holder hereby agrees to (a) exchange pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Exchange and Tender Offer, and not withdraw or revoke such exchange unless the conditions set forth in
Section 2 are not satisfied or this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9 hereof, the aggregate principal amount of Notes set forth under the Holder’s name on the signature pages hereto (the “Initial Notes”
and, together with any additional Notes held by the Holder, the “Holder’s Notes”) in the Exchange and Tender Offer as soon as practicable following the commencement of the Exchange and Tender Offer but no later than 5.00 p.m.
New York City time on the eighteenth business day (as defined in Rule 14d-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”)) following the commencement of the Exchange and Tender Offer and (b) subscribe for
not less than $[                    ] of the New Notes and [            ]% of the Warrant
Share Number (as defined in the Term Sheet) in the Rights Offering, the closing of such subscription will be subject to the consummation of the Rights Offering and subject to the terms and pursuant to the conditions to be set forth in the Rights
Offering, and (ii) the Company hereby agrees, unless this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9 hereof, to (a) accept such Holder’s Notes and to exchange such Holder’s Notes in the Exchange and Tender Offer subject
and pursuant to the terms and conditions thereof, (b) accept such Holder’s subscription for New Notes and Detachable Warrants in the Rights Offering subject to the terms and pursuant to the conditions thereof, and (c) accept all
subscriptions for New Notes and Detachable Warrants validly made by any Eligible Recipients (as defined in the Term Sheet), including upon exercise of any Oversubscription Rights as provided in the Term Sheet. 

  
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 2. Conditions. Subject to the provisions of the immediately following sentence, the
Holder’s obligations under Section 1 of this Agreement and the Company’s acceptance of any Notes exchanged by the Holder and issuance of New Notes in the Rights Offering shall be subject to consummation of the exchange offer
contemplated by the Exchange and Tender Offer and the Rights Offering consistent with the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Term Sheet and this Agreement and on terms and conditions reasonably acceptable to the Holder and the
Company; provided that any amendment, modification or waiver of any terms or conditions of the Exchange and Tender Offer, the Rights Offering or any other Transaction Document shall be reasonably acceptable to the Company and the Holder. The Company
and the Holder acknowledge and agree that notwithstanding any provision of the Term Sheet or this Agreement to the contrary, the Holder’s exchange of the Holder’s Notes for New Notes and the Company’s acceptance thereof (the
“Holder’s Notes Exchange Obligation”) is not contingent on the consummation of the tender offer contemplated by the Exchange and Tender Offer, but is contingent on the approval of the Company’s senior lenders under that
certain Revolving Credit and Security Agreement dated as of September 16, 2011 among the Company, each other borrower thereunder, the lenders party thereto and PNC Bank National Association, as agent for the lenders (the “Credit
Agreement” and the “Credit Agreement Consent”) of the transactions contemplated hereby, but such approval must be obtained by no later than February 6, 2012. 

3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to the Holder as follows: 

(a) The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization
and the Company has the requisite power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder. 

  
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 (b) This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company. This Agreement is
the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement may be limited by equitable principles or by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar
laws relating to or limiting creditors’ rights generally, and is in full force and effect. 
 (c) Prior to the issuance of
the New Notes and Detachable Warrants in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Transaction Documents, the issuance of the New Notes and the Detachable Warrants shall be duly authorized and, upon their respective issuance, the New Notes and
the Detachable Warrants shall be validly issued and free from all taxes, liens and charges with respect to the issue thereof. As of the time of issuance of the Detachable Warrants contemplated to be issued pursuant to the Term Sheet, a number of
shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company (“Common Stock”) shall have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance which equals or exceeds the maximum number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the
Detachable Warrants, without taking into account any limitations on the exercise of the Detachable Warrants to be set forth in the Detachable Warrants. Upon exercise of the Detachable Warrants, the shares of Common Stock issuable upon such exercise
will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all preemptive or similar rights, taxes, liens and charges with respect to the issue thereof, with the holders of such shares of Common Stock being entitled to all rights accorded to
a holder of Common Stock. 
 (d) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the other
Transaction Documents and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including, without limitation, the issuance of the New Notes, Detachable Warrants and shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Detachable
Warrants) do not and will not: (i) violate, conflict with or result in the breach of the certificate of incorporation, articles of 

  
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incorporation, bylaws, certificate of formation, operating agreement, limited liability company agreement or similar formation or organizational documents of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries; (ii) conflict with or violate any Law or Order applicable to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective assets or properties; (iii) subject to obtaining the Credit Agreement Consent, violate, conflict
with, result in any breach of, constitute a default (or event which with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would become a default) under, require any consent under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration,
suspension, revocation or cancellation of, any note, bond, mortgage or indenture, contract, agreement, lease, sublease, license, permit, franchise or other instrument or arrangement to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or to
which any of their respective assets or properties are subject, or result in the creation of any security interest, pledge, mortgage, lien, claim, option, charge or other encumbrance on any of their respective assets or properties, except that the
New Notes contemplated to be issued by the Term Sheet will be secured and except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), for any such conflict, violation, breach or default that would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the
aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect. 
 (e) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement
and the other Transaction Documents do not require any consent, approval, authorization or other Order of, action by, filing with or notification to, any Governmental Authority or any other Person under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of
any Law or Order applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or by which any of their respective assets or properties may be bound, any contract or agreement to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries may be bound, except for any such consents, approvals, authorizations, Orders, actions, filings or notifications, to be obtained or made, as applicable, on or prior to the consummation of the Rights Offering or the
Exchange and Tender Offer, as applicable. 

  
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 (f) There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or by any
Government Authority, public board, self-regulatory organization or body pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, the Common Stock or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries
or any of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ officers or directors, whether of a civil or criminal nature or otherwise, in their capacities as such, that could reasonably be expected to prevent or otherwise impact the execution of any of
this Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or the performance of any of the covenants or obligations herein or therein. 

(g) The information referred to on Exhibit D attached hereto is materially true and correct and does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. No less than $58.2 million aggregate principal
amount of Notes, including those held by the Holder, have signed support agreements agreeing either to tender or exchange their Notes pursuant to the Exchange and Tender Offer. 

(h) Neither the Holder nor anyone affiliated with the Holder has made any representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding
the Holder, the Notes or any aspect of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents, except for the information contained in the Term Sheet or as specifically, and not by implication, set forth in this
Agreement or that will be set forth in the other Transaction Documents executed by the Holder, and the Company is not relying on any representation or warranty not contained in the Term Sheet, this Agreement or any of the other Transaction
Documents. 

  
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 4. Representations and Warranties of the Holder; Acknowledgements and Undertakings of the
Holder. The Holder represents and warrants to the Company as follows: 
 (a) The Holder has the requisite power and
authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. 
 (b) This Agreement has been duly
executed and delivered by the Holder. This Agreement is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Holder, enforceable against the Holder in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement may be limited by equitable principles or by
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws relating to or limiting creditors’ rights generally, and is in full force and effect. 
 (c) The Holder beneficially owns the aggregate principal amount of the Notes set forth on its signature page below, which represent all the Notes held by the Holder and which are owned free and clear of
any pledge, security interest, claim, lien or other encumbrance of any kind, except for ordinary course liens on the Notes by the Holder’s prime broker, which liens will be released on or prior to the consummation of the exchange by the Holder
of the Holder’s Notes, and the Holder is an institutional “accredited investor” (as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) under the Securities Act) in accordance with Regulation D. 

(d) The Holder acknowledges that it has had the opportunity to obtain and review information reasonably requested by the Holder from the
Company prior to executing this Agreement or entering into the transactions contemplated hereby. The Holder understands that in the event the Company agrees to disclose additional information to the Holder or to meet with the Holder, the Company may
require that the Holder enter into one or more confidentiality agreements in a form that is reasonably acceptable to the Holder. 
 (e) The Holder is a sophisticated investor with knowledge and experience in business and financial matters, is accustomed to participating in transactions such as the Exchange and Tender Offer, and is
able to negotiate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and to evaluate its merits and risks. 

  
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 (f) The Holder has conducted its own independent evaluation, made its own analysis and
consulted with advisors as it has deemed necessary, prudent or advisable in order for the Holder to make its own determination and decision to enter into the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and to execute and deliver this Agreement. The
Holder has adequate information to evaluate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and has had the opportunity to discuss such information with its advisors. In entering into the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Holder is
relying entirely upon such independent evaluation and analysis and consultation with its advisors, upon the truth and accuracy of the Company’s public filings and upon the information set forth on Exhibit D hereto and has not relied upon
any other oral or written representations and warranties of any kind or nature by any of the Company or its affiliates, including controlling persons (collectively, the “Company Parties”) or anyone affiliated with the Company
Parties, except for the information contained in the Term Sheet, the Exchange and Tender Offer and Rights Offering or as specifically set forth in this Agreement. Except as set forth in the immediately preceding sentence, none of the Company Parties
nor anyone affiliated with the Company Parties has made any representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the Company, the New Notes or any aspect of the transactions contemplated by the Term Sheet or this Agreement, except for the
information contained in the Term Sheet or as specifically, and not by implication, set forth in this Agreement or to be set forth in any of the other Transaction Documents, and the Holder is not relying on any representation or warranty not
contained in the Term Sheet, this Agreement or in any of the other Transaction Documents. 

  
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 5. Covenants. 
 (a) Prior to the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 9 below (the “Termination Date”), the Holder will not withdraw or revoke any exchange or subscription
contemplated by this Agreement unless (i) one or more of the conditions set forth in Section 2 hereof is not satisfied, unless the satisfaction of such condition is waived in writing by the Holder, (ii) the Exchange and Tender Offer
or the Rights Offering, as applicable, is terminated before its expiration or modified without the Holder’s prior written consent, or (iii) this Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms. 

(b) Prior to the Termination Date and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, each of
the Company and the Holder agrees not to, and the Company will cause its controlled affiliates not to, take, or cause to be taken, directly or indirectly, any action inconsistent with the consummation of, or any action opposing, the transactions
contemplated by the Term Sheet, including the Exchange and Tender Offer or Rights Offering. 
 (c) Prior to the Termination
Date, the Holder agrees that, without the Company’s prior written consent, it will not (i) except for ordinary course liens on Notes by the Holder’s prime broker, which liens will be released on or prior to the consummation of the
exchange by the Holder of the Holder’s Notes, pledge, grant a security interest or otherwise encumber the Notes, or (ii) directly or indirectly, sell, assign, grant an option with respect to, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of the
Holder’s Notes, in whole or in part, unless the transferee of such Notes agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement. 
 (d) The Company and the Holder agree that the Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Holder, disclose the name of the Holder or amount of the Holder’s Notes held by the Holder
(or its affiliates) or that the Holder has entered into this Agreement in any 

  
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public manner, including in the Exchange and Tender Offer, or the Rights Offering or any related press release; provided, however, that (i) the Company may disclose such name or amount to
the extent that it is required to do so by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Nasdaq National Market or The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, but shall request confidential treatment from such entity and (ii) the Company may
disclose the aggregate percentage or aggregate principal amount of Notes held by holders of Notes who have signed support agreements with the Company agreeing to exchange or tender their Notes in the Exchange and Tender Offer or support the Rights
Offering (without naming such holders). 
 (e) The Company agrees to commence the Exchange and Tender Offer and the Rights
Offering as soon as practicable after obtaining the Credit Agreement Consent, but no later than February 6, 2012, and to provide the Holder with a draft Indenture (the “Indenture”) governing the New Notes and drafts of the
other Transaction Documents, including, without limitation, those relating to the Exchange and Tender Offer and the Rights Offering, as the Holder may reasonably request in advance of such commencement. The Company agrees that the Indenture shall be
consistent with the Term Sheet and contain other customary terms for publicly traded senior secured second liens notes and the Exchange and Tender Offer and Rights Offering will be consistent with the Term Sheet and contain such other terms and
conditions as are customary, but notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, all of the Transaction Documents shall be reasonably acceptable to the Holder and the Company. 

(f) The Company agrees not to change any term or condition contemplated in any of the Term Sheet, the Exchange and Tender Offer, the
Rights Offering or any other Transaction Document, except on terms and conditions reasonably acceptable to the Holder and the Company. 

  
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 (g) In consideration of each Holder’s execution and delivery of this Agreement and in
addition to all of the Company’s other obligations under the Transaction Documents, the Company shall defend, protect, indemnify and hold harmless the Holder and each subsequent holder of the New Notes or Detachable Warrants, and each of their
respective directors, officers, stockholders, employees, partners, members, managers, representatives, attorneys, other professional advisors and agents and all of their respective heirs, successors, legal administrators, permitted assigns, and each
Person who (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act) controls any of the Holder and the officers, directors, agents and employees of any such controlling Person (collectively, the
“Indemnitees”) from and against any and all actions, causes of action, suits, claims, losses, costs, penalties, fees, liabilities and damages, and expenses in connection therewith (irrespective of whether any such Indemnitee is a
party to the action for which indemnification hereunder is sought), and including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements (the “Indemnified Liabilities”), incurred by any Indemnitee as a result of, or arising out of, or
relating to (i) any misrepresentation or breach of any representation or warranty made by the Company herein or in any other Transaction Document or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby, (ii) any
breach of any covenant, agreement or obligation of the Company contained herein or in any other Transaction Document or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby or (iii) any cause of action, suit or claim
brought or made against such Indemnitee by a third party (including for these purposes a derivative action brought on behalf of the Company) and arising out of or resulting from (A) the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of this
Agreement or any other Transaction Document or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby, (B) any transaction financed or to be financed in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, with the proceeds of the
issuance of any New Notes or 

  
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Detachable Warrants, or (C) the status of the Holder or subsequent holder of the New Notes or Detachable Warrants as an investor in the Company pursuant to the transactions contemplated
hereby or in any other Transaction Document. To the extent that the foregoing undertaking by the Company may be unenforceable for any reason, the Company shall make the maximum contribution to the payment and satisfaction of each of the Indemnified
Liabilities that is permissible under applicable law. The Company acknowledges and agrees that each and all of the Indemnitees shall be treated as third-party beneficiaries with rights to bring an action against the Company under this
Section 5(g). However, the Company shall not be liable under clause (iii) of the foregoing indemnity and reimbursement agreement to the extent of any actions, causes of action, suit, claim, loss, cost, penalty, fee, liability and damage,
or expense which is finally judicially determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted primarily from the willful misconduct, gross negligence or bad faith of the Indemnitee. 

(h) No party hereto shall be liable to any other party for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages, as opposed to direct or
actual damages (whether or not the claim therefor is based on contract, tort or duty imposed by any applicable legal requirement) to the extent any such claim arises out of, is in connection with, is a result of, or is in any way related to, this
Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents. 
 (i) Each party shall use its reasonable best efforts timely to satisfy
each of the covenants and the conditions to be satisfied by it as provided herein and in each of the other Transaction Documents. 
 (j) Notwithstanding the non-binding nature of the Term Sheet, the Company hereby covenants and agrees to comply with the terms of the section entitled “Expenses” in the Term Sheet and to
promptly satisfy all obligations contemplated therein. 

  
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 (k) The Company agrees that each Person that enters into an agreement contemporaneously with
the execution of this Agreement to exchange its Notes with the Company and consents to subscribe for its pro rata portion of the Rights Offering, shall, except as otherwise agreed to by the Holder, execute an agreement with identical terms and
provisions to the terms and provisions in this Agreement, except for the name of such person as the “Holder” under such identical agreement and the principal amount of Notes held by such Person specified on the signature page to such
identical agreement and such agreement may not be altered, amended, or modified, and no terms or provisions of any such agreement may be waived by the Company, except with the Holder’s and the Company’s reasonable acceptance. The Company
shall not enter into any agreement with any Person which would give any holder of Notes a right to exchange such holder’s Notes, other than pursuant to an agreement substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the
“Exchange Support Agreement”), unless otherwise agreed by the Holder. The Company shall not enter into any agreement with any Person which would give any holder of Notes a right to tender such holder’s Notes, other than
pursuant to an agreement substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C (the “Tender Support Agreement”), unless otherwise agreed by the Holder. Any such Exchange Support Agreement or Tender Support Agreement may not
be altered, amended, or modified, and no terms or provisions of any such Exchange Support Agreement or Tender Support Agreement may be waived by the Company, except on terms reasonably acceptable to the Holder and the Company. 

(1) The Company agrees, and shall provide in the Rights Offering and any other applicable Transaction Documents, that no Rights (as
defined in the Term Sheet) shall be assignable or separable from the Notes that gave rise to the applicable Right. Rights may be transferred together with pro rata valid transfers of Notes. 

  
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 6. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by
different parties and separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered, shall be deemed an original, and all of which, when taken together, shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a
signature page to this Agreement by facsimile or portable document format (PDF) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement. This Agreement shall become binding only after the same is signed and delivered by
or on behalf of each of the parties hereto. 
 7. Choice of Laws. The validity of this Agreement, the construction,
interpretation, and enforcement hereof, and the rights of the parties hereto with respect to all matters arising hereunder or related hereto shall be determined under, governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of
the State of New York without regard to conflicts of laws principles (but including and giving effect to Sections 5-1401 and 5-1402 of the New York General Obligations Law). 
 8. Consent to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in The City of New York, Borough of
Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or any of the other Transaction Documents or with any transaction contemplated hereby or thereby or discussed herein or therein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and
agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit,
action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such party at the address for such notices to
it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process 

  
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and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY
HAVE, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR UNDER ANY OF THE OTHER TRANSACTION DOCUMENTS OR IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER TRANSACTION DOCUMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION
CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY. 
 9. Termination of Agreement. Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Company and
the Holder, 
 (a) The rights and obligations of the Company and the Holder under this Agreement shall terminate on the earliest
to occur of: 
 (i) February 6, 2012, if the Exchange and Tender Offer and Rights Offering shall not have been commenced by
such date; 
 (ii) the later of (A) forty five days after the commencement of the Exchange and Tender Offer if the exchange
offer contemplated by the Exchange and Tender Offer shall not have been consummated by such date or (B) if the registration of the securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission contemplated by the Exchange and Tender Offer and Rights
Offering has not become effective by such date, five days after such registration becomes effective; and 
 (iii) April 1,
2012. 
 (b) The Holder may, in its sole discretion, terminate this Agreement if the Company has violated or breached any
representation, warranty or covenant of this Agreement or of any other Transaction Document. 

  
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 (c) The Company may, in its sole discretion, terminate this Agreement if the Holder and any
other holder who in the aggregate have committed to exchange $36 million in aggregate principal amount of Holder’s Notes have violated or breached any representation, warranty or covenant and such breach results in or has the effect of
(i) such Person(s) not validly exchanging or tendering at least $36 million in aggregate principal amount of Notes in the Exchange and Tender Offer or (ii) such Person(s) not subscribing for at least $19.2 million of New Notes in the
aggregate in the Rights Offering. 
 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, in the event of termination of
this Agreement, the Holder’s Notes Exchange Obligation (unless the Holder indicates otherwise) and the obligations of the parties contained in Sections 5(g), 5(h), 5(j) and this Section 9 shall survive any such termination. 

Other than as set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, to the extent that the Agreement is terminated pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement, any exchange of Notes by the Holder or its assignees in accordance with this Agreement, in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be null and void. 

10. Survival. The representations and warranties made in this Agreement will survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. 
 11. Further Assurances. Each party
hereto shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as any other party hereto may reasonably request in
order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. 

  
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 12. The Company’s Right of Assignment. The parties hereto agree that the Company
may not assign or otherwise transfer its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the Holder. 
 13. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement, and supersedes all other prior negotiations, agreements
and understandings, whether written or oral, among the parties with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement; provided, however, that any confidentiality agreement executed by any party hereto shall survive this Agreement and shall continue
in full force and effect irrespective of the terms hereof. 
 14. Construction. The parties hereto and their respective
legal counsel participated in the preparation of this Agreement, and therefore, this Agreement shall be construed neither against nor in favor of any of the parties hereto, but rather in accordance with the fair meaning thereof. 

15. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their
respective successors and permitted assigns. 
 16. Amendment. This Agreement may not be altered, amended, or modified
except by a written instrument executed by or on behalf of the Company and the Holder. No consideration shall be offered or paid to any Person to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of any of the Transaction Documents or
similar documents entered into by another Person unless the same consideration (other than the reimbursement of legal fees) also is offered to all of the parties entering into such Transaction Document or similar document. 

17. No Waiver of Rights. All waivers hereunder must be made in writing, and the failure of any party at any time to require
another party’s performance of any obligation under this Agreement shall not affect the right subsequently to require performance of that obligation. 

  
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Any waiver of any breach of any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any continuing or succeeding breach of such provision or a waiver or modification of any other
provision. 
 18. Specific Performance. Each party hereto acknowledges that, in view of the uniqueness of the securities
referenced herein and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the other parties hereto would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages in the event that this Agreement has not been performed in accordance with its terms, and
therefore agrees that such other parties shall be entitled to specific enforcement of the terms hereof in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity. 

19. Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any Law
or public policy, all other terms and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect for so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially
adverse to any party hereto. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent
of the parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated as originally contemplated to the greatest extent possible. 

20. Conflict. In the event of any conflict between the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the terms and conditions of the
Term Sheet, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall prevail and shall govern the rights, obligations and actions of the Company and the Holder. 
 21. Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be given or made (and shall be deemed to have been duly


  
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given or made upon receipt) by delivery in person, by an internationally recognized overnight courier service, by facsimile or registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt
requested) to the respective parties hereto at the following addresses (or at such other address for any party as shall be specified by such party in a notice given in accordance with this Section 21) 

(a) If to the Company, to: 
 Hutchinson Technology Incorporated 
 40 West Highland Park Drive NE 

Hutchinson, Minnesota 55350 
 Attention: Chief Financial Officer 
 Facsimile: (320) 587-1810 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice to the Company) to 

Faegre Baker Daniels LLP 
 Facsimile: (612) 766-1600 
 Attention: Peggy S. Abram, Esq. 

(b) If to the Holder, to: 
 Facsimile: 
 Attention: 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice to the Holder) to: 

Facsimile: 

Attention: 

  
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 Any of the foregoing addresses or facsimile numbers may be changed by giving notice of such change in the
foregoing manner, except that notices for changes of address or facsimile number shall be effective only upon receipt. 
 22.
Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings: 
 “Company
Material Adverse Effect” means any event, circumstance, development, change or effect that, individually or in the aggregate with all other events, circumstances, developments, changes or effects, (a) has had or would reasonably be
expected to have or result in a material adverse effect or change in the results of operations, properties, assets, liabilities or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole or (b) has or would
reasonably be expected to prevent, materially delay or materially impair the ability of the Company to consummate the Exchange and Tender Offer and the Rights Offering and the transactions contemplated hereby. 

“Governmental Authority” means any federal, national, supranational, foreign, state, provincial, local, county,
municipal or other government, or any governmental, regulatory or administrative authority, agency, department, bureau, board, commission or official, or any quasi-governmental or private body exercising any regulatory, taxing, importing or other
governmental or quasi-governmental authority, or any court, tribunal, judicial or arbitral body, or any securities exchange, futures exchange, contract market, any other exchange or corporation or similar self-regulatory body or organization.


  
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 “Law” means any federal, national, supranational, foreign, state,
provincial, local, county, municipal or similar statute, law, common law, writ, injunction, decree, guideline, policy, ordinance, regulation, rule, code, Order, constitution, treaty, requirement, judgment or judicial or administrative doctrines
enacted, promulgated, issued, enforced or entered by any Governmental Authority. 
 “Order” means any order,
writ, judgment, injunction, decree, rule, ruling, directive, stipulation, determination or award made, issued or entered by or with any Governmental Authority, whether preliminary, interlocutory or final. 

“Person” means any individual, partnership, firm, corporation, limited liability company, association, joint venture,
trust, Governmental Authority, first nation, aboriginal or native group or band, unincorporated organization or other entity, as well as any syndicate or group that would be deemed to be a person under Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act.

 “Subsidiaries” of any Person means any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company,
trust, estate or other Person of which (or in which), directly or indirectly, more than 50% of (a) the issued and outstanding capital stock having ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors of such corporation
(irrespective of whether at the time capital stock of any other class or classes of such corporation shall or might have voting power upon the occurrence of any contingency), (b) the interest in the capital or profits of such partnership, joint
venture or limited liability company or other Person or (c) the beneficial interest in such trust or estate is at the time owned by such first Person, or by such first Person and one or more of its other Subsidiaries or by one or more of such
Person’s other Subsidiaries. 
 “Transaction Documents” means this Agreement, any documents or filings
related to the Exchange and Tender Offer and the Rights Offering, the Indenture, an intercreditor agreement to be entered into by and among the holders of New Notes and the lenders party to the Credit


  
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Agreement, the New Notes, the Detachable Warrants, the lock-up agreements contemplated by the Term Sheet, a collateral agreement and any similar documents to be entered into in connection with
the New Notes, and each of the other agreements entered into by any of the parties hereto in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and/or the Term Sheet. 

23. Rules of Construction. Unless the context of this Agreement clearly requires otherwise, references to the plural include the
singular, references to the singular include the plural, the term “including” is not limiting, and the term “or” has, except where otherwise indicated, the inclusive meaning represented by the phrase “and/or.” The words
“hereof,” “herein,” “hereby,” “hereunder” and similar terms in this Agreement refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. Section, subsection, clause, schedule,
annex and exhibit references are to this Agreement unless otherwise specified. Any reference to this Agreement shall include all alterations, amendments, changes, extensions, modifications, renewals, replacements, substitutions, and supplements
thereto and thereof, as applicable. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun includes the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. 
 *    *    * 

  
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 Please evidence your agreement to the foregoing by executing and returning a copy of this
Agreement. 
  

			
	Sincerely,
	
	HUTCHINSON TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
		
	By:	 	  

	Name:
	Title:









 Accepted and Agreed to: 
  

					
	 [HOLDER]
	 	  
		
	By:	 	  

			
		 	Name:	 	
			
		 	Title:	 	
			
		 	Address:	 	  

			
		 		 	  

			
		 		 	  

		
		 	 $


 Principal Amount of 3.25% Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2026