ASML Company profile
ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) is a Dutch technology company that manufactures the complex lithography machines used by chipmakers to create integrated circuits, or computer chips.
The Veldhoven-based company was founded in 1984 by Philips Electronics and Advanced Semiconductor Materials International (ASMI) to develop lithography systems for the growing semiconductor market. It has since grown into a multinational corporation with over 60 locations in 16 countries throughout Europe, Asia and the US.
It sells two categories of Lithography Systems: deep ultra violet (DUV) lithography and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
The lithography with DUV systems are used to print tiny features that form the basis of microchips. The company offers a range of TWINSCAN NXT immersion lithography tools that operate in a specific wavelength of the light source.
EUV systems pattern the finest line on microchips. The systems are used in high-volume manufacturing to create the highly complex foundation layers of the most advanced microchips (7.5 and 3 nanometer nodes). The latest generation smartphones, gaming consoles and smart watches are among products that benefit from its EUV systems.
The company also provides refurbishment service for its older PAS 5500 series launched in 1991. This breakthrough platform was able to reduce customers’ chip manufacturing time.
ASML also develops computational lithography, which is used to prevent defects that may form during lithography. For example, diffraction of the light as well as physical and chemical effects in the photosensitive layer deform the image the machine is trying to print.
ASML became a fully independent public company in 1995. Shares are traded on the Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges. Its stock is traded under the symbol ASML.