ASML Holding
Encyclopedia
ASML is a Dutch
company and the largest supplier in the world of photolithography
systems for the semiconductor
industry. The company manufactures machines for the production of integrated circuits (ICs), such as RAM and flash memory
chips and CPUs.
that is covered with a film of light-sensitive material (photoresist
). This procedure is repeated dozens of times on a single wafer. The photoresist is then further processed to create the actual electronic circuits on the silicon. The optical imaging, that ASML's machines deal with, is used in the fabrication of nearly all integrated circuits, and as of 2009, ASML has 80 percent of the worldwide sales of lithography machines, with the competition consisting of Ultratech
, Canon and Nikon
. Currently, their high-end Twinscan NXT:1950i system is specified to produce features of 38 nanometre
s at up to 175 wafers per hour, using a water immersion lens and an argon fluoride laser
that produces light at a wavelength of 193 nm. As of 2008, an average lithography machine costs 40 million euros. As of 2009, ASML is developing machines that use 13.5 nm wavelength extreme ultraviolet
light. On 22 April 2009, the Belgian research center Imec
presented the world’s first functional 22 nm CMOS
SRAM
memory cells made using ASML's prototype EUV lithography machine.
In addition to immersion-based lithography and EUV lithography, ASML has a substantial IP portfolio covering imprint lithography
.
, Netherlands
. It is also the location for research, development, manufacturing and assembly. ASML has a worldwide customer base and over sixty service points in sixteen countries. The company is listed on both the AEX
and NASDAQ
Stock Exchanges, as ASML.
The company (originally named ASM Lithography) was founded in 1984 as a joint venture between the Dutch companies Advanced Semiconductor Materials International
(ASMI) and Philips
. Nowadays it is a public company with only a minority of the shares owned by Philips.
At the end of 2008, ASML experienced a large drop in sales, which led management to cut the workforce by about 1000 worldwide -- mostly contract workers -- and to apply for support from the Dutch national unemployment fund to prevent even larger layoffs .
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
company and the largest supplier in the world of photolithography
Photolithography
Photolithography is a process used in microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film or the bulk of a substrate. It uses light to transfer a geometric pattern from a photomask to a light-sensitive chemical "photoresist", or simply "resist," on the substrate...
systems for the semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
industry. The company manufactures machines for the production of integrated circuits (ICs), such as RAM and flash memory
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
chips and CPUs.
Products
The photolithography machines manufactured by ASML are used in the production of computer chips. In these machines, patterns are optically imaged onto a silicon waferWafer (electronics)
A wafer is a thin slice of semiconductor material, such as a silicon crystal, used in the fabrication of integrated circuits and other microdevices...
that is covered with a film of light-sensitive material (photoresist
Photoresist
A photoresist is a light-sensitive material used in several industrial processes, such as photolithography and photoengraving to form a patterned coating on a surface.-Tone:Photoresists are classified into two groups: positive resists and negative resists....
). This procedure is repeated dozens of times on a single wafer. The photoresist is then further processed to create the actual electronic circuits on the silicon. The optical imaging, that ASML's machines deal with, is used in the fabrication of nearly all integrated circuits, and as of 2009, ASML has 80 percent of the worldwide sales of lithography machines, with the competition consisting of Ultratech
Ultratech, Inc.
Ultratech, Inc. is a publicly-traded international technology company based in San Jose, California which supplies equipment to global semiconductor fabrication plants, and also makes industry-leading tools for nanotechnology applications by optical networking, data storage and automotive and...
, Canon and Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
. Currently, their high-end Twinscan NXT:1950i system is specified to produce features of 38 nanometre
Nanometre
A nanometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billionth of a metre. The name combines the SI prefix nano- with the parent unit name metre .The nanometre is often used to express dimensions on the atomic scale: the diameter...
s at up to 175 wafers per hour, using a water immersion lens and an argon fluoride laser
Argon fluoride laser
The argon fluoride laser is a particular type of excimer laser, which is sometimes called an exciplex laser. With its 193 nanometer wavelength, it is a deep ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of semiconductor integrated circuits, eye surgery, micromachining, and scientific...
that produces light at a wavelength of 193 nm. As of 2008, an average lithography machine costs 40 million euros. As of 2009, ASML is developing machines that use 13.5 nm wavelength extreme ultraviolet
Extreme ultraviolet lithography
Extreme ultraviolet lithography is a next-generation lithography technology using an extreme ultraviolet wavelength, currently expected to be 13.5 nm.-EUVL light source:...
light. On 22 April 2009, the Belgian research center Imec
Imec
Imec is a micro- and nanoelectronics research center headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, with offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Taiwan, USA, China and Japan. Its staff of about 1,900 people includes more than 500 industrial residents and guest researchers...
presented the world’s first functional 22 nm CMOS
CMOS
Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor is a technology for constructing integrated circuits. CMOS technology is used in microprocessors, microcontrollers, static RAM, and other digital logic circuits...
SRAM
Static random access memory
Static random-access memory is a type of semiconductor memory where the word static indicates that, unlike dynamic RAM , it does not need to be periodically refreshed, as SRAM uses bistable latching circuitry to store each bit...
memory cells made using ASML's prototype EUV lithography machine.
In addition to immersion-based lithography and EUV lithography, ASML has a substantial IP portfolio covering imprint lithography
Nanoimprint Lithography
Nanoimprint lithography is a method of fabricating nanometer scale patterns. It is a simple nanolithography process with low cost, high throughput and high resolution. It creates patterns by mechanical deformation of imprint resist and subsequent processes. The imprint resist is typically a monomer...
.
Company
ASML’s corporate headquarters is in VeldhovenVeldhoven
Veldhoven is a municipality and a town on the Gender stream in the southern Netherlands, located just south-west of Eindhoven.- Population centres :...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It is also the location for research, development, manufacturing and assembly. ASML has a worldwide customer base and over sixty service points in sixteen countries. The company is listed on both the AEX
AEX index
The AEX index, derived from Amsterdam Exchange index, is a stock market index composed of Dutch companies that trade on Euronext Amsterdam, formerly known as the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Started in 1983, the index is composed of a maximum of 25 of the most actively traded securities on the exchange...
and NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
Stock Exchanges, as ASML.
The company (originally named ASM Lithography) was founded in 1984 as a joint venture between the Dutch companies Advanced Semiconductor Materials International
ASM International (company)
ASM International is a Dutch company active in the semiconductor industry.The company was founded by Arthur del Prado in 1968. ASMi has been the co-founder with Philips Electronics of the company ASML. The shares of the company are listed on the Nasdaq and Euronext Amsterdam. Since 2008 the son of...
(ASMI) and Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
. Nowadays it is a public company with only a minority of the shares owned by Philips.
At the end of 2008, ASML experienced a large drop in sales, which led management to cut the workforce by about 1000 worldwide -- mostly contract workers -- and to apply for support from the Dutch national unemployment fund to prevent even larger layoffs .