SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

Exhibit 10.1

SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”), dated as of March 28, 2012, by and among Hutchinson Technology Incorporated, a Minnesota corporation, with headquarters located at 40 West Highland Park Drive NE, Hutchinson, MN 55350 (the “Company”) and the investors listed on the Schedule of Buyers attached hereto (individually, a “Buyer” and collectively, the “Buyers”).

WHEREAS:

A. The Company and each Buyer is executing and delivering this Agreement in reliance upon the exemption from securities registration afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and Rule 506 of Regulation D (“Regulation D”) as promulgated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the 1933 Act.

B. The Company has authorized a new series of 8.50% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2017 of the Company (the “Notes”), in substantially the form attached as Exhibit A to that certain Indenture by and between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee and collateral agent, in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Indenture”).

C. Each Buyer wishes to purchase, and the Company wishes to sell and issue, upon the terms and conditions stated in this Agreement, (i) that aggregate principal amount of Notes, set forth opposite such Buyer’s name in column (3) on the Schedule of Buyers attached hereto (which aggregate principal amount of Notes for all Buyers shall be $40,000,000), and (ii) warrants, in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “Warrants”) representing the right to acquire that number of shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), set forth opposite such Buyer’s name in column (4) on the Schedule of Buyers (as exercised, collectively, the “Warrant Shares”).

D. Contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the parties hereto are executing and delivering a Registration Rights Agreement, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company has agreed to provide certain registration rights with respect to the Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) under the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and applicable state securities laws.

E. The Notes, the Warrants and the Warrant Shares collectively are referred to herein as the “Securities”.

F. The Notes shall be secured by a perfected second priority security interest in certain assets of the Company and certain stock and assets of the Company’s Subsidiaries (as defined herein), as evidenced by the Security Documents (as defined in the Indenture).

NOW, THEREFORE, the Company and each Buyer hereby agree as follows:

1. PURCHASE AND SALE OF NOTES AND WARRANTS.

(a) Purchase of Notes and Warrants. Subject to the satisfaction (or waiver) of the conditions set forth in Sections 6 and 7 below, the Company shall issue and sell to each Buyer, and each Buyer severally, but not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company on the Closing Date (as defined below), (x) a principal amount of Notes as is set forth opposite such Buyer’s name in column (3) on the Schedule of Buyers, and (y) Warrants to acquire up to that number of Warrant Shares as is set forth opposite such Buyer’s name in column (4) on the Schedule of Buyers (the “Closing”).

(b) Closing. The date and time of the Closing (the “Closing Date”) shall be 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the second (2nd) Business Day after the expiration, and concurrently with the closing, of the tender and exchange offer (the “Tender/Exchange Offer”) for the Company’s Outstanding 3.25% Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2026 pursuant to the terms and conditions specified in Amendment 4 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on March 24, 2012 (or such other date and time as is mutually agreed to by the Company and each Buyer), at the offices of Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, 919 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022. As used herein, “Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed.

(c) Purchase Price. The aggregate purchase price for the Notes and the Warrants to be purchased by each Buyer at the Closing (the “Purchase Price”) shall be the amount set forth opposite each Buyer’s name in column (5) of the Schedule of Buyers. The Buyers and the Company agree that the Notes and the Warrants constitute an “investment unit” for purposes of Section 1273(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Buyers and the Company mutually agree that the allocation of the issue price of such investment unit between the Notes and the Warrants in accordance with Section 1273(c)(2) of the Code and Treasury Regulation Section 1.1273-2(h) shall be an aggregate amount of $4,450,000 allocated to the Warrants and the balance of the Purchase Price allocated to the Notes, and neither the Buyers nor the Company shall take any position inconsistent with such allocation in any tax return or in any judicial or administrative proceeding in respect of taxes.

(d) Form of Payment. On the Closing Date, (i) each Buyer shall pay its Purchase Price to the Company for the Notes and the Warrants to be issued and sold to such Buyer at the Closing (less, in the case of Liberty Harbor Master Fund I, L.P. (“Liberty Harbor”) and Silver Lake Credit Fund, L.P. (“Silver Lake”), the amounts withheld pursuant to Section 4(g)), by wire transfer of immediately available funds in accordance with the Company’s written wire instructions, (ii) the Company shall deliver to each Buyer a Note (allocated in the amounts as each Buyer shall request) in the principal amount set forth opposite the Buyer’s name in column (3) of the Schedule of Buyers, duly executed by the Company and authenticated by the Trustee as provided in the Indenture, and (ii) the Company shall deliver to each Buyer the Warrants (allocated in the amounts as such Buyer shall request) which such Buyer is purchasing, duly executed on behalf of the Company and registered in the name of such Buyer or its designee.

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2. BUYER’S REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. Each Buyer, severally and not jointly, represents and warrants with respect to only itself that:

(a) No Public Sale or Distribution. Such Buyer is (i) acquiring the Notes and the Warrants and (ii) upon exercise of the Warrants will acquire the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, for its own account and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, the public sale or distribution thereof, except pursuant to sales registered or exempted under the 1933 Act; provided, however, that by making the representations herein, such Buyer does not agree to hold any of the Securities for any minimum or other specific term and reserves the right to dispose of the Securities at any time in accordance with or pursuant to a registration statement or an exemption under the 1933 Act. Such Buyer is acquiring the Securities hereunder in the ordinary course of its business. Such Buyer is not a broker-dealer and does not presently have any agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any Person to distribute any of the Securities. For purposes of this Agreement, “Person” means an individual, a limited liability company, a partnership, a joint venture, a corporation, a trust, an unincorporated organization and a government or any department or agency thereof.

(b) Accredited Investor, QIB and Sophisticated Investor Status. Such Buyer is an “accredited investor” as that term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D and is a qualified institutional buyer within the meaning of Rule 144A (other than Liberty Harbor Distressed Credit Opportunities Fund, L.P., which is not a qualified institutional buyer), and is a sophisticated investor with knowledge and experience in business and financial matters, is accustomed to participating in transactions such as the transactions contemplated hereby and able to evaluate its merits and risks.

(c) Reliance on Exemptions. Such Buyer understands that the Securities are being offered and sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying in part upon the truth and accuracy of, and such Buyer’s compliance with, the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of such Buyer set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of such Buyer to acquire the Securities.

(d) Information. Such Buyer and its advisors, if any, have been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities that have been requested by such Buyer. Such Buyer and its advisors, if any, have been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the Company. Neither such inquiries nor any other due diligence investigations conducted by such Buyer or its advisors, if any, or its representatives shall modify, amend or affect such Buyer’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained herein. Such Buyer has not relied upon any other oral or written representations 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 as set forth herein or in the Amended and Restated Support Agreements entered into by each of the Buyers and the Company on March 9, 2012 (as amended from time to time, the “Support Agreements”). Such Buyer understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk. Such Buyer has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to its acquisition of the Securities.

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(e) No Governmental Review. Such Buyer understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities.

(f) Transfer or Resale. Such Buyer understands that except as provided in the Registration Rights Agreement: (i) the Securities have not been and are not being registered under the 1933 Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (x) in the case of the Notes, such Buyer or any subsequent holder complies with the requirements set forth in the Indenture, and (y) in the case of the Warrants and Warrant Shares (herein collectively the “Equity Securities”) (A) subsequently registered thereunder and sold pursuant to a registration statement in accordance with the Plan of Distribution attached as an exhibit to the Registration Rights Agreement, (B) such Buyer shall have delivered to the Company an opinion of counsel, in a generally acceptable form, to the effect that such Equity Securities to be sold, assigned or transferred may be sold, assigned or transferred pursuant to an exemption from such registration, or (C) such Buyer provides the Company with reasonable assurance in the form of a customary representation letter that, in connection with a proposed transfer or other disposition of the Equity Securities, such Equity Securities can be sold, assigned or transferred pursuant to Rule 144 or Rule 144A promulgated under the 1933 Act, as amended, (or a successor rule thereto) (collectively, “Rule 144”), and, if required by the Company or the Company’s transfer agent, the delivery of an opinion of counsel (which may be counsel to the Company), in a generally acceptable form, to the effect that such Equity Security can be sold, assigned or transferred in accordance with Rule 144; (ii) any sale of the Equity Securities made in reliance on Rule 144 may be made only in accordance with the terms of Rule 144 and further, if Rule 144 is not applicable, any resale of the Securities under circumstances in which the seller (or the Person (as defined below) through whom the sale is made) may be deemed to be an underwriter (as that term is defined in the 1933 Act) may require compliance with some other exemption under the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder; and (iii) neither the Company nor any other Person is under any obligation to register the Equity Securities under the 1933 Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Securities may be pledged in connection with a bona fide margin account or other loan or financing arrangement secured by the Securities and such pledge of Securities shall not be deemed to be a transfer, sale or assignment of the Securities hereunder, and no Buyer effecting a pledge of Securities shall be required to provide the Company with any notice thereof or otherwise make any delivery to the Company pursuant to this Agreement or any other Transaction Document (as defined in Section 3(b)), including, without limitation, this Section 2(f); provided, however, that the Securities which are the subject of the pledge shall remain subject in all respects to the requirements and restrictions on transfer herein and in the Indenture set forth and shall continue to bear the legends set forth in Section 2(g) and the Indenture.

(g) Legends. Such Buyer understands that the certificates or other instruments representing (i) the Notes shall be subject to the legend requirements set forth in the

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Indenture, and (ii) the Warrants and the stock certificates representing the Warrant Shares, except as set forth below, shall bear any legend as required by the “blue sky” laws of any state and a restrictive legend in substantially the following form (and a stop-transfer order may be placed against transfer of such stock certificates):

Legend for Warrants and Warrant Shares

[NEITHER THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE NOR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THESE SECURITIES ARE EXERCISABLE HAVE BEEN][THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN] REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE OFFERED FOR SALE, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED (I) IN THE ABSENCE OF (A) AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR THE SECURITIES UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR (B) AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, IN A GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE FORM, THAT REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER SAID ACT OR (II) UNLESS SOLD PURSUANT TO RULE 144 OR RULE 144A UNDER SAID ACT, IN EACH CASE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT DATED AS OF MARCH 28, 2012 BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND THE ORIGINAL HOLDER OF THESE SECURITIES. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, THE SECURITIES MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT OR OTHER LOAN OR FINANCING ARRANGEMENT SECURED BY THE SECURITIES, PROVIDED THAT NO SUCH PLEDGE SHALL AFFECT THE REQUIREMENTS OTHERWISE APPLICABLE UNDER THE SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT TO A TRANSFER OF THE SECURITIES [OR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THE SECURITIES ARE EXERCISABLE] IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF ANY SUCH PLEDGE NOR SHALL ANY SUCH PLEDGE AFFECT THE MAINTENANCE OF THIS LEGEND ON THIS SECURITY.

The legend set forth above with respect to Warrant Shares shall be removed and the Company shall issue a certificate without such legend to the holder of the Warrant Shares (or shall work with the holder to cause the Warrant Shares to be issued to such holder by electronic delivery at the applicable balance account at DTC), if such Securities are registered for resale under the 1933 Act and such holder delivers a notice including the information contemplated by the Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions (as hereinafter defined) to the Company that either a transfer of Warrant Shares, has been effected, or in the holder’s good faith judgment is anticipated to be promptly effected following the issuance and delivery of such Warrant Shares upon receipt by the Company of an accompanying notice of exercise of the related Warrant, pursuant to such registration statement in accordance with the Plan of Distribution attached as an exhibit to the Registration Rights Agreement. The legends set forth above shall be removed and the Company shall issue a certificate without such legend to the holder of the Equity Securities upon which it is stamped or issue to such holder by electronic delivery at the applicable balance account at DTC, if, unless otherwise required by state securities laws, (i) in connection with any sale, assignment or other transfer (other than as contemplated in the first sentence above, or

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pursuant to clause (ii) below), such holder provides the Company with an opinion of counsel, in a generally acceptable form, to the effect that such sale, assignment or transfer of the Securities may be made without registration under the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act, or (ii) the holder provides the Company with reasonable assurance in the form of a customary representation letter that the Securities can be sold, assigned or transferred pursuant to Rule 144 and, if required by the Company or the Company’s transfer agent, the delivery of an opinion of counsel (which may be counsel to the Company), in a generally acceptable form, to the effect that such Equity Security can be sold, assigned or transferred in accordance with Rule 144. The Company shall be responsible for the fees of its transfer agent and all DTC fees associated with such issuance. In the event a transfer of Warrant Shares anticipated to be effected as noticed by a holder is not promptly effected following exercise of the related Warrant, the holder agrees to provide notice to the Company and the Company reserves the right to request return of the applicable unlegended certificate(s) and to require placement of such legend thereon.

(h) Validity; Enforcement. This Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement have been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered on behalf of such Buyer and shall constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of such Buyer enforceable against such Buyer in accordance with their respective terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity or applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation and other similar laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of applicable creditors’ rights and remedies.

(i) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by such Buyer of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement and the consummation by such Buyer of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby will not (i) result in a violation of the organizational documents of such Buyer or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any agreement, indenture or instrument to which such Buyer is a party, or (iii) result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree (including federal and state securities laws) applicable to such Buyer, except in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for such conflicts, defaults, rights or violations which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of such Buyer to perform its obligations hereunder.

(j) Residency. Such Buyer is a resident of that jurisdiction specified below its address on the Schedule of Buyers.

(k) General Solicitation. Such Buyer is not purchasing the Securities as a result of any advertisement, article, notice or other communication regarding the Securities published in any newspaper, magazine or similar media or broadcast over the television or radio or presented at any seminar or, to such Buyer’s knowledge, any other general solicitation or general advertisement. Prior to the time that such Buyer was first contacted by the Company or is representatives such Buyer had a pre-existing and substantial relationship with the Company.

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3. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY.

The Company represents and warrants to each of the Buyers that:

(a) Organization and Qualification. Each of the Company and its “Subsidiaries” (as defined in the Indenture) are entities duly organized and validly existing in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which they are formed, and have the requisite power and authorization to own their properties and to carry on their business as now being conducted. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is duly qualified as a foreign entity to do business and is in good standing in every jurisdiction in which its ownership of property or the nature of the business conducted by it makes such qualification necessary, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. As used in this Agreement, “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 consummation of the Tender/Exchange Offer or the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby.

(b) Authorization; Enforcement; Validity. The Company has the requisite power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Notes, the Warrants, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Security Documents, the Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions (as defined in Section 5(b)), the Support Agreements and any documents or filings related to the Tender/Exchange Offer, the Indenture, 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 Support Agreements (collectively, the “Transaction Documents”) and to issue the Securities in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof. The execution and delivery of any Transaction Documents executed and delivered by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Transaction Documents, including, without limitation, the issuance of the Notes and the Warrants and the reservation for issuance and issuance of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants have been duly authorized by the Company’s Board of Directors and (other than the Required Filings (as defined below), and assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Buyers set forth in Section 2 of this Agreement), no further filing, consent, or authorization is required by the Company, its Board of Directors or its shareholders in connection with any Transaction Document or the transactions contemplated thereby. This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to be executed by the Company have been, or will be, when executed and delivered, duly executed and delivered by the Company, and constitute, or will constitute when executed and delivered, the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity or applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of applicable creditors’ rights and remedies.

(c) Issuance of Securities. The issuance of the Notes and the Warrants are duly authorized and, upon issuance, shall be validly issued and free from all taxes, liens and charges with respect to the issue thereof. As of the Closing, a number of shares of Common Stock shall have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance sufficient to provide for the exercise of all outstanding Warrants (without taking into account any limitations on the exercise

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of the Warrants set forth in the Warrants). Upon exercise in accordance with the Warrants, the Warrant Shares 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 being entitled to all rights accorded to a holder of Common Stock. Assuming the accuracy of each of the representations and warranties set forth in Section 2 of this Agreement, the offer and issuance by the Company of the Securities is exempt from registration under the 1933 Act.

(d) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including, without limitation, the issuance of the Notes and the Warrants and reservation for issuance and issuance of the Warrant Shares) will not (i) result in a violation of any memorandum of association, articles of incorporation, certificate of formation, any certificate of designations or other constituent documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, any capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the articles of association or bylaws of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) in any respect under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any material agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, or (iii) result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree (including foreign, federal and state securities laws and regulations and the rules and regulations of the NASDAQ Global Select Market (the “Principal Market”) and applicable laws of the State of Minnesota) applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or by which any property or asset of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound or affected.

(e) Consents. Assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Buyers set forth in Section 2 of this Agreement, (i) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is required to obtain any consent, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with, any court, governmental agency or any regulatory or self-regulatory agency or any other Person in order for it to execute, deliver or perform any of its obligations under or contemplated by the Transaction Documents, in each case in accordance with the terms hereof or thereof, except for filings that are being made in connection with the Tender/Exchange Offer and the effectiveness of the registration statement thereunder, listing of the Warrant Shares on the Principal Market by the Company, filings in connection with and effectiveness of the registrations contemplated by the Registration Rights Agreement, the filing of a Form D with the SEC and any state as required and the filings contemplated by the Transaction Documents (collectively, the “Required Filings”); and (ii) all consents, authorizations, orders, filings and registrations which the Company is required to obtain pursuant to clause (i) above, which need to be obtained or effected on or prior to the Closing Date, have been obtained or effected on or prior to the Closing Date, and the Company and its Subsidiaries are unaware of any facts or circumstances that might prevent the Company from obtaining or effecting any of the registration, application or filings pursuant to clause (i) above. The Company is not in violation of the listing requirements of the Principal Market and has no knowledge of any facts that would reasonably lead to delisting or suspension of the Common Stock in the foreseeable future. The issuance by the Company of the Securities shall not have the effect of delisting or suspending the Common Stock from the Principal Market.

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(f) Acknowledgment Regarding Buyer’s Purchase of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees that each Buyer is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length purchaser with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and that no Buyer is (i) an officer or director of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) an “affiliate” of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (as defined in Rule 144) or (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, a “beneficial owner” of more than 10% of the shares of Common Stock (as defined for purposes of Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”)). The Company further acknowledges that no Buyer is acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, and any advice given by a Buyer or any of its representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby is merely incidental to such Buyer’s purchase of the Securities. The Company further represents to each Buyer that the Company’s decision to enter into the Transaction Documents has been based solely on the independent evaluation by the Company and its representatives.

(g) No General Solicitation; Placement Agent’s Fees. Neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries or affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf, has engaged in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D) in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities to the Buyers. The Company shall be responsible for the payment of any placement agent’s fees, financial advisory fees, or brokers’ commissions (other than for persons engaged by any Buyer or its investment advisor) relating to or arising out of the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, fees payable to Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. (“Houlihan”) in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company acknowledges that it has engaged Houlihan in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. Other than Houlihan, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has engaged any representative or agent in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby.

(h) No Integrated Offering. None of the Company, its Subsidiaries, any of their affiliates, and any Person acting on their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would require registration of any of the Securities under the 1933 Act, whether through integration with prior offerings or otherwise, or cause this offering of the Securities to require approval of shareholders of the Company for purposes of the 1933 Act or any applicable shareholder approval provisions, including, without limitation, under the rules and regulations of any exchange or automated quotation system on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated. None of the Company, its Subsidiaries, their affiliates and any Person acting on their behalf will take any action or steps referred to in the preceding sentence that would require registration of any of the Securities under the 1933 Act or cause the offering of the Securities to be integrated with other offerings for purposes of any such applicable shareholder approval provisions.

(i) Dilutive Effect. The Company understands and acknowledges that the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants will increase in certain circumstances. The Company further acknowledges that its obligation to issue the Warrant Shares upon exercise of the Warrants in accordance with this Agreement and the Warrants is absolute and unconditional regardless of the dilutive effect that such issuance may have on the ownership interests of other shareholders of the Company.

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(j) SEC Documents; Financial Statements. During the two (2) years prior to the date hereof, the Company has timely filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by it with the SEC pursuant to the reporting requirements of the 1934 Act (all of the foregoing filed prior to the date hereof, and all exhibits included therein and financial statements, notes and schedules thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein being hereinafter referred to as the “SEC Documents”). There are no SEC Documents not available on the EDGAR system. As of their respective filing dates, the SEC Documents complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder applicable to the SEC Documents, and none of the SEC Documents, at the time they were filed with the SEC, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. As of their respective filing dates, the financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Documents complied as to form in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied, during the periods involved (except (i) as may be otherwise indicated in such financial statements or the notes thereto, or (ii) in the case of unaudited interim statements, to the extent they may exclude footnotes or may be condensed or summary statements) and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company as of the dates thereof and the results of its operations and cash flows for the periods then ended (subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments). No other written information provided by or on behalf of the Company to the Buyers since the Company first signed confidentiality agreements with the Buyers on December 8, 2011, which is not included in the SEC Documents, including, without limitation, written information referred to in Section 2(d) of this Agreement or in the disclosure schedules to this Agreement, contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstance under which they are or were made, not misleading.

(k) Absence of Certain Changes. Since December 25, 2011, there has been no Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has taken any steps to seek protection pursuant to any bankruptcy law nor does the Company have any knowledge or reason to believe that its creditors intend to initiate involuntary bankruptcy proceedings or any actual knowledge of any fact that would reasonably lead a creditor to do so. The Company and its Subsidiaries, individually and on a consolidated basis, are not as of the date hereof, and after giving effect to the transactions contemplated hereby to occur at the Closing, will not be Insolvent (as defined below). For purposes of this Section 3(k), (x) “Insolvent” means, with respect to any Person, (i) the present fair saleable value of such Person’s assets is less than the amount required to pay such Person’s total Indebtedness (as defined below)), (ii) such Person is unable to pay its debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and liabilities become absolute and matured, (iii) such Person intends to incur or believes that it will incur debts that would be beyond its ability to pay as such debts mature or (iv) such Person has unreasonably small capital with which to conduct the business in which it is engaged as such

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business is now conducted and is proposed to be conducted; (y) “Indebtedness” of any Person means, without duplication (A) all indebtedness for borrowed money, (B) all obligations issued, undertaken or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services, including, without limitation, “capital leases” in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (other than trade payables entered into in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice), (C) all reimbursement or payment obligations with respect to letters of credit, surety bonds and other similar instruments, (D) all obligations evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or similar instruments, including obligations so evidenced incurred in connection with the acquisition of property, assets or businesses, (E) all indebtedness created or arising under any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, or incurred as financing, in either case with respect to any property or assets acquired with the proceeds of such indebtedness (even though the rights and remedies of the seller or bank under such agreement in the event of default are limited to repossession or sale of such property), (F) all monetary obligations under any leasing or similar arrangement which, in connection with generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied for the periods covered thereby, is classified as a capital lease, (G) all indebtedness referred to in clauses (A) through (F) above secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or other encumbrance upon or in any property or assets (including accounts and contract rights) owned by any Person, even though the Person which owns such assets or property has not assumed or become liable for the payment of such indebtedness, and (H) all Contingent Obligations in respect of indebtedness or obligations of others of the kinds referred to in clauses (A) through (G) above; and (z) “Contingent Obligation” means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect liability, contingent or otherwise, of that Person with respect to any indebtedness, lease, dividend or other obligation of another Person if the primary purpose or intent of the Person incurring such liability, or the primary effect thereof, is to provide assurance to the obligee of such liability that such liability will be paid or discharged, or that any agreements relating thereto will be complied with, or that the holders of such liability will be protected (in whole or in part) against loss with respect thereto.

(l) Equity Capitalization. As of the date hereof, the authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 100,000,000 shares of Common Stock, of which as of the date hereof, 23,422,662 shares are issued and outstanding, 7,933,229 shares are reserved for issuance pursuant to the Company’s stock option and purchase plans and 16,198,953 shares are reserved for issuance pursuant to securities (other than the aforementioned options and the Warrants) exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, Common Stock. All of such outstanding shares have been, or upon issuance will be, validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable. The Warrant Shares will represent in the aggregate not less than 16.5% of the Company’s outstanding shares of Common Stock effective as of the time immediately prior to the Closing. There are no agreements or arrangements under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is obligated to register the sale of any of their securities under the 1933 Act (except pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement); and (ii) there are no securities or instruments containing anti-dilution or similar provisions that will be triggered by the issuance of the Securities. The Company has furnished or made available to the Buyers true, correct and complete copies of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, as amended and as in effect on the date hereof (the “Articles of Incorporation”), and the Company’s Bylaws, as amended and as in effect on the date hereof (the “Bylaws”), and the terms of any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock and the material rights of the holders thereof in respect thereto.

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(m) Transfer Taxes. On the Closing Date, all stock transfer or other taxes (other than income or similar taxes) which are required to be paid in connection with the sale and transfer of the Securities to be sold to each Buyer hereunder will be, or will have been, fully paid or provided for by the Company, and all laws imposing such taxes will be or will have been complied with.

(n) Manipulation of Price. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result, or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result, in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, other than fees paid to Houlihan, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) other than fees paid to Houlihan, paid or agreed to pay to any person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company.

(o) Acknowledgement Regarding Buyers’ Trading Activity. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) none of the Buyers has been asked to agree, nor has any Buyer agreed, to desist from purchasing or selling, long and/or short, securities of the Company, or “derivative” securities based on securities issued by the Company or to hold the Securities for any specified term; (ii) any Buyer, and counter-parties in “derivative” transactions to which any such Buyer is a party, directly or indirectly, presently may have a “short” position in the Common Stock, and (iii) each Buyer shall not be deemed to have any affiliation with or control over any arm’s length counter-party in any “derivative” transaction. The Company further understands and acknowledges that one or more Buyers may engage in hedging and/or trading activities at various times during the period that the Securities are outstanding and (b) such hedging and/or trading activities, if any, can reduce the value of the existing shareholders’ equity interest in the Company both at and after the time the hedging and/or trading activities are being conducted. The Company acknowledges that such aforementioned hedging and/or trading activities do not constitute a breach of this Agreement, the Notes, the Warrants or any of the documents executed in connection herewith.

(p) Disclosure. Giving effect to the 8-K Filing (as defined below), the Company confirms that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided any of the Buyers or their agents or counsel with any information that constitutes or could reasonably be expected to constitute material, nonpublic information. The Company understands and confirms that each of the Buyers will rely on the foregoing representations in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All disclosure provided to the Buyers regarding the Company, or any of its Subsidiaries, their business and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the disclosure schedules to this Agreement, furnished by or on behalf of the Company is 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. Giving effect to the 8-K Filing, no event or circumstance has occurred or information exists with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or its or their business, properties, prospects, operations or financial conditions,

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which, under applicable law, rule or regulation, requires public disclosure or announcement by the Company but which has not been so publicly announced or disclosed. The Company acknowledges and agrees that no Buyer makes or has made any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in Section 2.

(q) Shell Company Status. The Company is not, and has never been, an issuer identified in Rule 144(i)(1).

(r) Copies of Transaction Documents. The Company has delivered to each Buyer or has made publicly available a true, correct and complete copy of each Transaction Document.

4. COVENANTS.

(a) Best Efforts. 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 in Sections 6 and 7 of this Agreement.

(b) Form D and Blue Sky. The Company agrees to file a Form D with respect to the Securities as required under Regulation D and to provide a copy thereof to each Buyer promptly after such filing. The Company shall, on or before the Closing Date, take such action as the Company shall reasonably determine is necessary in order to obtain an exemption for or to qualify the Securities for sale to the Buyers at the Closing pursuant to this Agreement under applicable securities or “Blue Sky” laws of the states of the United States (or to obtain an exemption from such qualification), and shall provide evidence of any such action so taken to the Buyers on or prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall make all filings and reports relating to the offer and sale of the Securities required under applicable securities or “Blue Sky” laws of the states of the United States following the Closing Date.

(c) Legal Opinions. To the extent the Company or the Company’s transfer agent shall require legal opinions in connection with (i) any sale or transfer of any Securities in reliance on Rule 144 or (ii) any removal of legends from any Securities in reliance on Rule 144, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause its counsel to deliver any such legal opinions, provided, that the holder of such Securities has furnished reasonable assurances in the form of a customary representation letter as contemplated by Section 2 hereof.

(d) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as set forth in the registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-179384) filed by the Company with the SEC on February 6, 2012 (as amended or supplemented from time to time).

(e) Financial Information. The Company agrees to send the following to each Investor during the Public Information Period (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) unless the following are filed with the SEC through EDGAR and are available to the public through the EDGAR system, (i) within one (1) Business Day after the filing thereof with the SEC, a copy of its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, any Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any Current Reports on Form 8-K (or any analogous reports under the 1934 Act) and any registration statements (other than on Form S-8) or amendments filed pursuant to the 1933 Act, (ii) on the

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same day as the release thereof, facsimile or e-mailed copies of all press releases issued by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and (iii) copies of any notices and other information made available or given to the shareholders of the Company generally, contemporaneously with the making available or giving thereof to the shareholders.

(f) [INTENTIONALLY OMITTED]

(g) Fees. The Company shall reimburse Liberty Harbor (a Buyer) or its designee(s) (in addition to any other expense amounts paid to any Buyer or its counsel prior to the date of this Agreement) for all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents as well as all transactions contemplated by the Support Agreements (including all legal fees and disbursements in connection therewith, documentation and implementation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and the Support Agreements and due diligence in connection therewith), which amount may be withheld by such Buyer from its Purchase Price at the Closing. The Company shall reimburse Silver Lake (a Buyer) or its designee(s) (in addition to any other expense amounts paid to any Buyer or its counsel prior to the date of this Agreement) for all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents as well as all transactions contemplated by the Support Agreements (including all legal fees and disbursements in connection therewith, documentation and implementation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and the Support Agreements and due diligence in connection therewith) in an amount not to exceed $10,000, which amount may be withheld by such Buyer from its Purchase Price at the Closing. The Company shall be responsible for the payment of any agent’s fees, financial advisory fees, or broker’s commissions (other than for Persons engaged by any Buyer) relating to or arising out of the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, any fees or commissions payable to Houlihan. The Company shall pay, and hold each Buyer harmless against, any liability, loss or expense (including, without limitation, reasonable attorney’s fees and out-of-pocket expenses) arising in connection with any claim relating to any such payment. Except as otherwise set forth in the Transaction Documents, each party to this Agreement shall bear its own expenses in connection with the sale of the Securities to the Buyers.

(h) Pledge of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Securities may be pledged by an Investor (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) in connection with a bona fide margin agreement or other loan or financing arrangement that is secured by the Securities. The pledge of Securities shall not be deemed to be a transfer, sale or assignment of the Securities hereunder, and no Investor effecting a pledge of Securities shall be required to provide the Company with any notice thereof or otherwise make any delivery to the Company pursuant to this Agreement or any other Transaction Document, including, without limitation, Section 2(f) hereof; provided that an Investor and its pledgee shall be required to comply with the provisions of Section 2(f) hereof in order to effect a sale, transfer or assignment of Securities to such pledgee. The Company hereby agrees to execute and deliver such documentation as a pledgee of the Securities may reasonably request in connection with a pledge of the Securities to such pledgee by an Investor.

(i) Disclosure of Transactions and Other Material Information. On or before 8:30 a.m., New York City time, on the first Business Day after this Agreement has been

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executed, the Company shall issue a press release (the “Press Release”) describing the terms of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. On or before 8:30 a.m., New York City time, on the fourth Business Day after this Agreement has been executed, the Company shall file a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the terms of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents in the form required by the 1934 Act and attaching this Agreement, the form of Warrant, the form of the Registration Rights Agreement and such other items as may be required as exhibits to such filing (including all attachments, the “8-K Filing”). From and after the issuance of the Press Release, no Buyer shall be in possession of any material, nonpublic information received from the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, employees or agents, that is not disclosed in the Press Release. The Company shall not, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries and its and each of their respective officers, directors, employees and agents, not to, provide any Buyer with any material, nonpublic information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries from and after the filing of the Press Release with the SEC without the express prior written consent of such Buyer. If a Buyer has, or believes it has, received any such material, nonpublic information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries from the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, affiliates or agents, it may provide the Company with written notice thereof. The Company shall, within two (2) Trading Days (as defined in the Indenture) of receipt of such notice, make public disclosure of such material, nonpublic information. In the event of a breach of the foregoing covenant by the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of its or their respective officers, directors, employees and agents, in addition to any other remedy provided herein or in the Transaction Documents, a Buyer shall have the right to make a public disclosure, in the form of a press release, public advertisement or otherwise, of such material, nonpublic information without the prior approval by the Company, its Subsidiaries, or any of its or their respective officers, directors, employees or agents. No Buyer shall have any liability to the Company, its Subsidiaries, or any of its or their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders or agents for any such disclosure. To the extent that the Company delivers any material, non-public information to a Buyer without such Buyer’s consent, the Company hereby covenants and agrees that such Buyer shall not have any duty of confidentiality with respect to, or a duty not to trade on the basis of, such material, non-public information. Subject to the foregoing, neither the Company, its Subsidiaries nor any Buyer shall issue any press releases or any other public statements with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby; provided, however, that the Company shall be entitled, without the prior approval of any Buyer, to make any press release or other public disclosure with respect to such transactions (i) in substantial conformity with the Press Release and the 8-K Filing and contemporaneously therewith and (ii) as is required by applicable law and regulations (provided that in the case of clause (i) each Buyer shall be consulted by the Company in connection with any such press release or other public disclosure prior to its release). Without the prior written consent of any applicable Buyer, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or affiliates shall disclose the name of such Buyer in any other filing, announcement, release or otherwise.

(j) Corporate Existence. So long as any Buyer beneficially owns any Securities, the Company shall maintain its corporate existence and shall not be party to any Fundamental Transaction (as defined in the Warrants) or a Change of Control (as defined in the Indenture) unless the Company is in compliance with the applicable provisions governing, as applicable, Fundamental Transactions set forth in the Warrants or Change of Control set forth in the Indenture.

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(k) Reservation of Shares. So long as any Buyer owns any Warrants, the Company shall take all action necessary to at all times have authorized, and reserved for the purpose of issuance, no less the number of shares of Common Stock sufficient to provide for the exercise of all outstanding Warrants (without taking into account any limitations on the exercise of the Warrants set forth in the Warrants). If at any time the number of shares of Common Stock authorized and reserved for issuance is not sufficient to provide for the exercise of all outstanding Warrants, the Company will promptly take all corporate action necessary to authorize and reserve a sufficient number of shares, including, without limitation, calling a special meeting of shareholders of the Company to authorize additional shares to meet the Company’s obligations under Section 3(c), in the case of an insufficient number of authorized shares, obtain shareholder approval of an increase in such authorized number of shares, and voting the management shares of the Company in favor of an increase in the authorized shares of the Company to ensure that the number of authorized shares is sufficient to provide for the exercise of all outstanding Warrants.

(l) Takeover Protections; Rights Plan. Prior to the issuance of the Warrants, the Company shall take such action as may be necessary to cause (1) the provisions of the Rights Plan Agreement, dated as of July 29, 2010, between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as Rights Agent (as amended or otherwise modified, the “Rights Plan”) not to apply to a holder of Warrants by reason of a holder of Warrants holding unexercised Warrants and (2) both with and without regard to the Maximum Percentage (as defined in the Warrant) limitation, a holder of Warrants not to be an “interested shareholder” under Section 302A.01, Subd. 49 of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act for the purposes of issuance or exercise of the Warrants if upon issuance of the Warrants the holder of Warrants (i) would be deemed a beneficial owner of 10% or more of the Company’s common stock or (ii) would be deemed a beneficial owner of 10% or more of the Company’s common stock but for the Maximum Percentage limitation; and therefore Section 302A.673 of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act shall not be applicable to such holder of the Warrants upon issuance or exercise of the Warrants.

(m) Corporate Existence; Conduct of Business. The business of the Company and its Subsidiaries shall not be conducted in violation of any law, ordinance or regulation of any governmental entity, except where such violations would not result, either individually or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Effect.

5. REGISTER; TRANSFER AGENT INSTRUCTIONS.

(a) Register. The Company shall maintain at its principal executive offices (or such other office or agency of the Company as it may designate by notice to each holder of Securities), a register for the Warrants in which the Company shall record the name and address of the Person in whose name the Warrants have been issued (including the name and address of each transferee) and the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants held by such Person. The Company shall keep the register open and available at all times during business hours for inspection of any Buyer or its legal representatives.

(b) Transfer Agent Instructions. The Company shall issue irrevocable instructions to its transfer agent, and any subsequent transfer agent, to issue certificates or credit shares to the applicable balance accounts at the DTC, registered in the name of each Buyer or its

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respective nominee(s), for the Warrant Shares issued upon exercise of the Warrants in such amounts as specified from time to time by each Buyer to the Company upon exercise of the Warrants in the form of Exhibit D attached hereto (the “Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions”). The Company warrants that no instruction other than the Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions referred to in this Section 5(b) (and other than as therein contemplated), and stop transfer instructions to give effect to Sections 2(f) and 2(g) hereof, will be given by the Company to its transfer agent, and that the Equity Securities shall otherwise be freely transferable on the books and records of the Company as and to the extent provided in this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents. If a Buyer effects a sale, assignment or transfer of the Equity Securities in accordance with Section 2(f), the Company shall permit the transfer and, subject to Section 2(g), shall promptly instruct its transfer agent to issue one or more certificates or credit shares to the applicable balance accounts at DTC in such name and in such denominations as specified by such Buyer to effect such sale, transfer or assignment. Subject to the requirements of Sections 2(f) and 2(g), in the event that such sale, assignment or transfer involves the Warrant Shares sold, assigned or transferred pursuant to an effective registration statement or pursuant to Rule 144, the transfer agent shall issue such Equity Securities to the Buyer, assignee or transferee, as the case may be, without any restrictive legend. The Company acknowledges that a breach by it of its obligations hereunder will cause irreparable harm to a Buyer. Accordingly, the Company acknowledges that the remedy at law for a breach of its obligations under this Section 5(b) will be inadequate and agrees, in the event of a breach or threatened breach by the Company of the provisions of this Section 5(b), that a Buyer shall be entitled, in addition to all other available remedies, to an order and/or injunction restraining any breach and requiring immediate issuance and transfer, without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required.

6. CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANY’S OBLIGATION TO SELL.

The obligation of the Company hereunder to issue and sell the Notes and the related Warrants to each Buyer at the Closing is subject to the satisfaction, at or before the Closing Date, of each of the following conditions, provided that these conditions are for the Company’s sole benefit and may be waived by the Company at any time in its sole discretion by providing each Buyer with prior written notice thereof:

(i) The Tender/Exchange Offer shall have expired without termination or extension and the Company and tendering holders of Outstanding 3.25% Notes shall be irrevocably committed to close on the Tender/Exchange Offer.

(ii) Such Buyer shall have executed each of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party and delivered the same to the Company.

(iii) Such Buyer shall have delivered to the Company the Purchase Price (less, in the case of Liberty Harbor and Silver Lake, the amounts withheld pursuant to Section 4(g)) for the Notes and the related Warrants being purchased by such Buyer at the Closing by wire transfer of immediately available funds pursuant to the wire instructions provided by the Company.

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(iv) The representations and warranties of such Buyer shall be true and correct as of the date when made and as of the Closing Date as though made at that time (except for representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date which shall be true and correct as of such specified date), and such Buyer shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all material respects with the covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by such Buyer at or prior to the Closing Date.

7. CONDITIONS TO EACH BUYER’S OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE.

The obligation of each Buyer hereunder to purchase the Notes and the related Warrants at the Closing is subject to the satisfaction, at or before the Closing Date, of each of the following conditions, provided that these conditions are for each Buyer’s sole benefit and may be waived by such Buyer at any time in its sole discretion by providing the Company with prior written notice thereof:

(i) The Company shall have duly executed and delivered to such Buyer (A) each of the Transaction Documents required to be executed and delivered by the Company, (B) the Notes (allocated in such principal amounts as such Buyer shall request) pursuant to the requirements of the Indenture, being purchased by such Buyer at the Closing pursuant to this Agreement and (C) the related Warrants (allocated in such amounts as such Buyer shall request) being purchased by such Buyer at the Closing pursuant to this Agreement.

(ii) The Tender/Exchange Offer shall have expired without termination or extension and the Company and tendering holders of Outstanding 3.25% Notes shall be irrevocably committed to close on the Tender/Exchange Offer.

(iii) Such Buyer shall have received the opinion of Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, the Company’s outside counsel, dated as of the Closing Date, in substantially the form of Exhibit E attached hereto.

(iv) The Company shall have delivered to such Buyer a certificate evidencing the formation and good standing of the Company in the Company’s jurisdiction of formation issued by the Secretary of State of such jurisdiction, as of a date within ten (10) days of the Closing Date.

(v) The Company shall have delivered to such Buyer a certificate, executed by the Secretary of the Company and dated as of the Closing Date, as to (i) the resolutions consistent with Section 3(b) as adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors, (ii) the Articles of Incorporation and (iii) the Bylaws, each as in effect at the Closing, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F.

(vi) The representations and warranties of the Company shall be true and correct as of the date when made and as of the Closing Date as though made at that time (except for representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date which shall be true and correct as of such specified date), the Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all respects with the covenants, agreements and conditions required by the Transaction Documents to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to the Closing Date, and there shall not have occurred a Material Adverse Effect. Such Buyer shall

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have received a certificate, executed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to the foregoing effect and as to such other matters as may be reasonably requested by such Buyer in the form attached hereto as Exhibit G.

(vii) The Common Stock (I) shall be designated for quotation or listed on the Principal Market and (II) shall not have been suspended, as of the Closing Date, by the SEC or the Principal Market from trading on the Principal Market nor shall suspension by the SEC or the Principal Market have been threatened, as of the Closing Date, either (A) in writing by the SEC or the Principal Market or (B) by falling below the minimum listing maintenance requirements of the Principal Market.

(viii) The Company shall have obtained all governmental, regulatory or third party consents and approvals, if any, necessary for the sale to the Buyers of the Securities.

8. TERMINATION. In the event that the Closing shall not have occurred with respect to a Buyer on or before April 4, 2012 due to the Company’s or such Buyer’s failure to satisfy the conditions set forth in Sections 6 and 7 above (and the nonbreaching party’s failure to waive such unsatisfied condition(s)), the nonbreaching party shall have the option to terminate this Agreement with respect to such breaching party at the close of business on such date without liability of any party to any other party; provided, however, that if this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section 8, the Company shall remain obligated to reimburse Liberty Harbor or its designee(s) and Silver Lake or its designee(s), as applicable, for the expenses described in Section 4(g) above; provided, further that this Agreement shall not be terminated with respect any Buyer that has elected to extend the expiration date of its Support Agreement pursuant to Section 9(a)(ii) thereof, or the Company if the expiration date of the Support Agreement is extended by such Buyer pursuant to Section 9(a)(ii) thereof, unless the Closing shall not have occurred with respect to such Buyer on or before the extended expiration date pursuant to the applicable Support Agreement.

9. MISCELLANEOUS.

(a) Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Jury Trial. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdictions other than the State of New York. 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 with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, 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 and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner

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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 IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

(b) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party; provided that a facsimile signature shall be considered due execution and shall be binding upon the signatory thereto with the same force and effect as if the signature were an original, not a facsimile signature.

(c) Headings. The headings of this Agreement are for convenience of reference and shall not form part of, or affect the interpretation of, this Agreement.

(d) Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is prohibited by law or otherwise determined to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the provision that would otherwise be prohibited, invalid or unenforceable shall be deemed amended to apply to the broadest extent that it would be valid and enforceable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Agreement so long as this Agreement as so modified continues to express, without material change, the original intentions of the parties as to the subject matter hereof and the prohibited nature, invalidity or unenforceability of the provision(s) in question does not substantially impair the respective expectations or reciprocal obligations of the parties or the practical realization of the benefits that would otherwise be conferred upon the parties. The parties will endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the prohibited, invalid or unenforceable provision(s) with a valid provision(s), the effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the prohibited, invalid or unenforceable provision(s).

(e) Entire Agreement; Amendments. This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents supersede all other prior oral or written agreements between the Buyers, the Company, their affiliates and Persons acting on their behalf with respect to the matters discussed herein, and this Agreement, the other Transaction Documents and the instruments referenced herein and therein contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the matters covered herein and therein and, except as specifically set forth herein or therein, neither the Company nor any Buyer makes any representation, warranty, covenant or undertaking with respect to such matters. No provision of this Agreement may be amended and the observance thereof may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance and either retroactively or prospectively) other than by an instrument in writing signed by the Company and the holders (the “Required Holders”) of at least a majority of the aggregate amount of Registrable Securities issued and issuable hereunder and under the Warrants; provided that any such amendment or waiver that complies with the foregoing but that disproportionately, materially and adversely affects the rights and obligations of any Buyer relative to the comparable rights and obligations of the other Buyers shall require the prior written consent of such adversely affected Buyer. Any amendment or waiver effected in accordance with this Section 9(e) shall be binding upon each Buyer, holders of Securities and the Company. No such amendment shall be

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effective to the extent that it applies to less than all of the holders of the applicable Securities then outstanding. 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 unless the same consideration (other than the reimbursement of legal fees) also is offered to all of the parties to the Transaction Documents, holders of Notes or holders of the Warrants, as the case may be. The Company has not, directly or indirectly, made any agreements with any Buyers relating to the terms or conditions of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents except as set forth in the Transaction Documents. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company confirms that, except as set forth in this Agreement and the Support Agreements, no Buyer has made any commitment or promise or has any other obligation to provide any financing to the Company or otherwise.

(f) Notices. Any notices, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been delivered: (i) upon receipt, when delivered personally; (ii) upon receipt, when sent by facsimile (provided confirmation of transmission is mechanically or electronically generated and kept on file by the sending party); or (iii) one Business Day after deposit with an overnight courier service, in each case properly addressed to the party to receive the same. The addresses and facsimile numbers for such communications shall be:

If to the Company:

Hutchinson Technology Incorporated

40 West Highland Park Drive NE

Hutchinson, Minnesota 55350

With a copy to:

Faegre Baker Daniels LLP

2200 Wells Fargo Center

90 South Seventh Street

Minneapolis, MN ###-###-####

If to a Buyer, to its address and facsimile number set forth on the Schedule of Buyers, with copies to such Buyer’s representatives as set forth on the Schedule of Buyers,

with a copy (for informational purposes only) to:

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP

919 Third Avenue

New York, New York 10022

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or to such other address and/or facsimile number and/or to the attention of such other Person as the recipient party has specified by written notice given to each other party five (5) days prior to the effectiveness of such change. Written confirmation of receipt (A) given by the recipient of such notice, consent, waiver or other communication, (B) mechanically or electronically generated by the sender’s facsimile machine containing the time, date, recipient facsimile number and an image of the first page of such transmission or (C) provided by an overnight courier service shall be rebuttable evidence of personal service, receipt by facsimile or receipt from an overnight courier service in accordance with clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above, respectively

(g) Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns, including any purchasers of the Notes or the Warrants. The Company shall not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Required Holders, including by way of a Fundamental Transaction (unless the Company is in compliance with the applicable provisions governing Fundamental Transactions set forth in the Warrants) or a Change of Control (unless the Company is in compliance with the applicable provisions governing Change of Control set forth in the Indenture). Other than to a purchaser of Warrant Shares in a public sale pursuant to a registration statement or resale pursuant to Rule 144, a Buyer may assign some or all of its rights hereunder without the consent of the Company or any other Buyer, in which event such assignee shall be deemed to be a Buyer hereunder with respect to such assigned rights; provided, that, without the consent of the Company, a Buyer may assign its right to purchase Notes and Warrants under this Agreement only to an affiliate of such Buyer.

(h) No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns, and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person, except that each Indemnitee shall have the right to enforce the obligations of the Company with respect to Section 9(k).

(i) Survival. Unless this Agreement is terminated under Section 8, the representations and warranties of the Company and the Buyers contained in Sections 2 and 3, and the agreements and covenants set forth in Sections 4, 5 and 9 shall survive the Closing. Each Buyer shall be responsible only for its own representations, warranties, agreements and covenants hereunder.

(j) Further Assurances. Each party 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 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.

(k) Indemnification. In consideration of each Buyer’s execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents executed and delivered by such Buyer and acquiring the Securities

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thereunder and in addition to all of the Company’s other obligations under the Transaction Documents, the Company shall defend, protect, indemnify and hold harmless each Buyer and each other holder of the Securities and all of their stockholders, partners, members, officers, directors, employees and direct or indirect investors and any of the foregoing Persons’ agents or other representatives (including, without limitation, those retained in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement) (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 (a) any misrepresentation or breach of any representation or warranty made by the Company in the Transaction Documents or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby, (b) any breach of any covenant, agreement or obligation of the Company contained in the Transaction Documents or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby or (c) 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 (i) the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of the Transaction Documents or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby, (ii) any transaction financed or to be financed in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, with the proceeds of the issuance of the Securities, (iii) any disclosure made by such Buyer pursuant to Section 4(i), or (iv) the status of such Buyer or holder of the Securities as an investor in the Company pursuant to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. 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. Except as otherwise set forth herein, the mechanics and procedures with respect to the rights and obligations under this Section 9(k) shall be the same as those set forth in Section 6 of the Registration Rights Agreement.

(l) No Strict Construction. The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any party.

(m) Remedies. Each Buyer and each holder of the Securities shall have all rights and remedies set forth in the Transaction Documents and all rights and remedies which such holders have been granted at any time under any other agreement or contract and all of the rights which such holders have under any law. Any Person having any rights under any provision of this Agreement shall be entitled to enforce such rights specifically (without posting a bond or other security), to recover damages by reason of any breach of any provision of this Agreement and to exercise all other rights granted by law. Furthermore, the Company recognizes that in the event that it fails to perform, observe, or discharge any or all of its obligations under the Transaction Documents, any remedy at law may prove to be inadequate relief to the Buyers. The Company therefore agrees that the Buyers shall be entitled to seek temporary and permanent injunctive relief in any such case without the necessity of proving actual damages and without posting a bond or other security.

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(n) Rescission and Withdrawal Right. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in (and without limiting any similar provisions of) the Transaction Documents, whenever any Buyer exercises a right, election, demand or option under a Transaction Document and the Company does not timely perform its related obligations within the periods therein provided, then such Buyer may rescind or withdraw, in its sole discretion from time to time upon written notice to the Company, any relevant notice, demand or election in whole or in part without prejudice to its future actions and rights.

(o) Payment Set Aside. To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to the Buyers hereunder or pursuant to any of the other Transaction Documents or the Buyers enforce or exercise their rights hereunder or thereunder, and such payment or payments or the proceeds of such enforcement or exercise or any part thereof are subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside, recovered from, disgorged by or are required to be refunded, repaid or otherwise restored to the Company, a trustee, receiver or any other Person under any law (including, without limitation, any bankruptcy law, foreign, state or federal law, common law or equitable cause of action), then to the extent of any such restoration the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such enforcement or setoff had not occurred.

(p) Independent Nature of Buyers’ Obligations and Rights. The obligations of each Buyer under any Transaction Document are several and not joint with the obligations of any other Buyer, and no Buyer shall be responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other Buyer under any Transaction Document. Nothing contained herein or in any other Transaction Document, and no action taken by any Buyer pursuant hereto or thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Buyers as, and the Company acknowledges that the Buyers do not so constitute, a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of entity, or create a presumption that the Buyers are in any way acting in concert or as a group, and the Company shall not assert any such claim with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and the Company acknowledges that the Buyers are not acting in concert or as a group with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Company acknowledges and each Buyer confirms that it has independently participated in the negotiation of the transaction contemplated hereby with the advice of its own counsel and advisors. Each Buyer shall be entitled to independently protect and enforce its rights, including, without limitation, the rights arising out of this Agreement or out of any other Transaction Documents, and it shall not be necessary for any other Buyer to be joined as an additional party in any proceeding for such purpose.

[Signature Page Follows]

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

[Signature Page to Securities Purchase Agreement]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

[Signature Page to Securities Purchase Agreement]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

[Signature Page to Securities Purchase Agreement]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

[Signature Page to Securities Purchase Agreement]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

[Signature Page to Securities Purchase Agreement]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

[Signature Page to Securities Purchase Agreement]

SCHEDULE OF BUYERS