Contents

Draft:ASML Holding: Difference between revisions

WikiPartnerEditorial (talk | contribs)

16 edits
VisualWikitext
Creating Draft:ASML Holding
 
No edit summary
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Dutch semiconductor equipment company}}
{{Infobox company
{{Infobox company
| name = ASML
| name = ASML

Latest revision as of 20:31, 26 September 2026

ASML
Semiconductor equipment

ASML corporate logo


Legal name
ASML Holding N.V.




Formerly
ASM Lithography
Type
Public company
Industry
Semiconductor equipment
Traded as
Euronext Amsterdam: ASML; Nasdaq: ASML
Founded
1 April 1984


Founders
Philips; ASM International


Headquarters
Veldhoven, Netherlands
Locations
More than 60(2025)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Christophe Fouquet (President and CEO); Nils Andersen (Chair, Supervisory Board); Roger Dassen (CFO); Marco Pieters (CTO)
Products
EUV and DUV lithography systems; metrology and inspection systems
Services
Customer support; field options; computational lithography



Employees
44,175(2025)
Revenue
€32.7 billion(2025)






Website
Official website

ASML Holding N.V., commonly known as ASML, is a Dutch multinational technology company that develops and manufactures equipment used in the production of semiconductors. Headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, the company is best known for its photolithography systems, which chip manufacturers use to transfer extremely small circuit patterns onto silicon wafers.[1]

ASML supplies extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems as well as metrology, inspection, computational lithography, software and customer-support services.[2] Its EUV equipment is particularly important to the production of advanced semiconductor devices. Reuters described ASML in 2026 as the world's only commercial producer of EUV lithography machines, which are used by major semiconductor manufacturers for advanced chips.[3]

The company originated in 1984 as ASM Lithography, a joint venture between Dutch electronics group Philips and semiconductor-equipment company ASM International.[4] ASML became an independent publicly traded company in 1995 and is listed on both Euronext Amsterdam and Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ASML.[5]

In 2025, ASML reported total net sales of €32.7 billion, net income of €9.6 billion and research-and-development spending of €4.7 billion.[6] At the end of that year, the company reported 44,175 employees by headcount and operations at more than 60 locations worldwide.[7]

History

Origins and establishment

ASML's technological roots extend into semiconductor lithography research conducted at Philips during the 1970s and early 1980s. Philips developed wafer-stepper technology including the Philips Automated Stepper, or PAS 2000, but faced the challenge of commercializing the equipment in a rapidly changing semiconductor-manufacturing market.[8]

Philips and ASM International agreed to form a joint venture to develop and sell lithography systems. ASM Lithography began operations on 1 April 1984 with employees transferred from Philips and initially operated from facilities in Eindhoven.[9] Its first commercial system was the PAS 2000 stepper.[4]

The company moved to a newly constructed office and factory in Veldhoven in 1985. The following year it introduced the PAS 2500, which incorporated alignment technology that influenced later ASML systems. ASML also began a long-term relationship with German optics manufacturer Carl Zeiss during this period.[4]

ASM International eventually withdrew from the lithography venture and sold its interest in 1988.[10] ASML continued with Philips as its principal shareholder while attempting to establish itself against larger semiconductor-equipment competitors.

Growth and public listing

The PAS 5500 platform, introduced in the early 1990s, became a major commercial breakthrough for ASML. Its combination of resolution and production performance helped the company gain major semiconductor customers and establish a stronger position in the lithography market.[4]

In 1995, ASML became a fully independent public company through an initial public offering. Its shares were listed in Amsterdam and New York. Philips sold part of its ownership during the IPO and disposed of its remaining ASML shares over the following years.[4]

During the 2000s, ASML developed technologies including TWINSCAN dual-stage systems and immersion lithography. These developments increased lithography resolution and throughput and helped the company expand its position in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.[4]

Expansion through acquisitions

ASML acquired several technology companies as it expanded beyond traditional lithography scanners.

In May 2013, ASML completed the acquisition of California-based Cymer, a developer of light-source technology. The transaction followed extensive collaboration between the companies and was intended in part to accelerate the development of EUV lithography.[11][12]

In November 2016, ASML completed its acquisition of Taiwan-based Hermes Microvision Inc. (HMI), a supplier of electron-beam inspection technology. ASML said the combination would integrate HMI's inspection systems with its broader lithography and process-control portfolio.[13]

ASML completed the acquisition of the Berliner Glas Group in November 2020. Berliner Glas produced optical and ceramic components used in semiconductor equipment. ASML later divested several parts of the acquired group that were not focused on its semiconductor business.[14][15]

EUV and High-NA development

ASML spent more than two decades developing extreme ultraviolet lithography into a technology suitable for high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. EUV systems use light with a wavelength of approximately 13.5 nanometres, substantially shorter than the ultraviolet wavelengths used in conventional DUV lithography.[16]

EUV entered high-volume manufacturing around the beginning of the 2020s. ASML marked the shipment of its 100th EUV system in 2020.[4]

The company later developed a new generation known as High-NA EUV. High-NA systems use optics with a numerical aperture of 0.55, compared with 0.33 for earlier EUV systems, allowing smaller semiconductor features to be patterned. ASML shipped its first High-NA system from the EXE platform in 2023.[4]

In February 2026, ASML said its next-generation High-NA EUV technology had reached a stage at which customers could begin preparing it for high-volume semiconductor production.[17]

Operations

ASML designs, develops, assembles and services semiconductor-manufacturing equipment. Its headquarters and major manufacturing operations are in Veldhoven, in the Dutch province of North Brabant.[1] The company also operates engineering, manufacturing, research, sales and customer-support locations across Europe, Asia and the United States.

ASML reported more than 60 locations and employees representing 143 nationalities in its 2025 company information.[1] Its major geographical presence includes the Netherlands, the United States and Taiwan. At the end of 2025, the company reported 23,707 employees by headcount in the Netherlands, 8,242 in the United States and 4,548 in Taiwan.[18]

ASML depends on an extensive international supply chain. In 2025, the company reported approximately 5,100 suppliers, including about 1,600 in the Netherlands, 1,350 in North America, 1,450 in Asia and 700 elsewhere in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.[6]

Many critical components are supplied by specialized companies. Carl Zeiss SMT, for example, supplies optical components including lenses and mirrors used in ASML lithography systems. ASML's 2025 annual report states that Zeiss is its sole supplier of several critical optical components and that the companies have an exclusive arrangement in this area.[19]

Products and technology

Lithography

Photolithography is a central process in semiconductor manufacturing. During lithography, light is projected through or reflected from a pattern and focused onto a photosensitive layer on a silicon wafer. Repeated patterning and processing steps are used to form the structures that eventually become transistors and other components of an integrated circuit.[20]

ASML's lithography portfolio is primarily divided into EUV and DUV systems.[2]

EUV systems

ASML's EUV systems generate light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometres. Because EUV radiation is absorbed by most materials, the technology relies on reflective optics and operates in a vacuum environment rather than using conventional transmissive lenses.[16]

ASML's NXE family uses a numerical aperture of 0.33 and is used for high-volume production of advanced logic and memory devices. Models have included the TWINSCAN NXE:3400C, NXE:3600D and NXE:3800E.[16]

The EXE family is ASML's High-NA EUV platform and uses a numerical aperture of 0.55. ASML states that the TWINSCAN EXE:5200B is designed to support high-volume production of sub-2-nanometre logic nodes and advanced DRAM manufacturing.[16]

Reuters reported in January 2026 that ASML held a monopoly on commercial EUV lithography equipment and that EUV systems were central to the production of advanced chips by companies including TSMC, Samsung and Intel.[21]

DUV systems

Deep ultraviolet lithography remains widely used across semiconductor production, including both mature manufacturing processes and many layers of advanced chips. ASML produces dry and immersion DUV systems.[2]

DUV technology continues to operate alongside EUV because a modern integrated circuit contains many different layers that do not all require EUV's highest resolution. ASML therefore develops both technology families for different manufacturing requirements.[16]

Metrology and inspection

ASML also develops metrology and inspection systems that measure semiconductor patterns and detect defects during manufacturing.[2] These technologies include optical metrology products and electron-beam inspection systems developed in part through ASML's HMI business.

HMI's portfolio includes eScan systems for wafer-defect inspection. ASML has developed multibeam electron-inspection technology designed to inspect larger areas while maintaining the resolution required for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.[22]

Computational lithography and software

Computational lithography uses mathematical modelling, simulation and software to predict and correct the physical effects that influence the transfer of patterns onto semiconductor wafers. ASML combines these tools with data from lithography and metrology systems to improve process control and manufacturing yield.[2]

The company also uses sensor measurements and computational models to calculate corrections that can be applied during lithography.[23]

Advanced packaging

ASML has expanded its product development into advanced semiconductor packaging. In 2025, it shipped the first TWINSCAN XT:260, an i-line lithography system developed for 3D integration and advanced packaging applications.[4]

In 2026, ASML executives said the company was researching additional equipment aimed at advanced packaging, a field that has grown in importance as AI processors increasingly combine multiple specialized chips and high-bandwidth memory in a single package.[24]

Research and development

Research and development is one of ASML's largest areas of expenditure. The company spent €4.7 billion on R&D in 2025, an increase of 9.2 percent from the previous year.[25]

Its 2025 research programs included further development of NXE EUV systems, the EXE High-NA platform, next-generation lithography equipment, advanced packaging systems, optical metrology, electron-beam metrology and inspection, multibeam inspection and software applications.[25]

ASML reported 16,448 R&D employees, measured as full-time equivalents including relevant personnel classifications, at the end of 2025.[26]

Corporate affairs

Leadership

Christophe Fouquet is ASML's president and chief executive officer. He joined ASML in 2008, became a member of the Board of Management in 2018 and served as executive vice president for EUV before becoming chief business officer. He succeeded Peter Wennink as CEO in 2024.[27]

Nils Andersen has served as chair of ASML's Supervisory Board since 2023.[28]

Roger Dassen serves as chief financial officer. Marco Pieters became chief technology officer in 2025 and joined the Board of Management following ASML's annual general meeting on 22 April 2026.[27][29]

Stock listings

ASML's ordinary shares are principally traded on Euronext Amsterdam under the ticker ASML. The company's shares also trade on Nasdaq under the same ticker.[5]

ASML states that Euronext Amsterdam is the principal trading market for its ordinary shares. Its International Securities Identification Number is NL0010273215.[5]

Workforce

At the end of 2025, ASML reported 44,175 employees by headcount. Of these, 41,686 were permanent employees and 2,489 were temporary employees under the company's sustainability-reporting classification.[30]

Measured in full-time equivalents, ASML reported 43,520 payroll employees and 689 temporary employees at the end of 2025, for a combined total of 44,209 FTEs.[31]

Financial performance

ASML reported total net sales of €32.7 billion in 2025, up 15.6 percent from €28.3 billion in 2024.[25] Net system sales amounted to €24.5 billion, while net service and field-option sales were €8.2 billion.[25]

The company reported gross profit of €17.3 billion, income from operations of €11.3 billion and net income of €9.6 billion for 2025. Gross margin was 52.8 percent and basic earnings per share were €24.73.[6]

ASML sold 535 systems during 2025, consisting of 48 EUV lithography systems, 279 DUV lithography systems and 208 metrology and inspection systems.[6]

The company returned €8.5 billion to shareholders during 2025 through dividends and share repurchases.[6] At its April 2026 annual general meeting, shareholders adopted a total dividend of €7.50 per ordinary share for the 2025 financial year.[32]

Customers and semiconductor industry role

ASML sells equipment to semiconductor manufacturers rather than designing or manufacturing finished processors itself. Its systems are used in foundries, integrated device manufacturers and memory factories to pattern semiconductor wafers.

EUV lithography has made ASML particularly important to advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Reuters reported in 2026 that ASML is the only producer of commercial EUV systems and that major customers using the technology include TSMC, Samsung Electronics and Intel.[33]

The company's DUV systems serve a broader range of semiconductor processes, including mature technology nodes as well as less demanding layers in advanced chips.[2]

The expansion of artificial-intelligence computing and high-bandwidth memory has increased investment in advanced logic and memory manufacturing. ASML said its 2025 logic sales were supported by leading-edge foundry expansion associated with AI demand, while memory investment was supported by high-bandwidth memory and DDR5 applications.[25]

Export controls

Because advanced semiconductor-manufacturing equipment can have strategic and dual-use applications, some ASML products are subject to government export licensing.

The Netherlands introduced licensing requirements for exports of certain advanced DUV lithography systems beginning in 2023. Reuters reported in 2025 that the policy had been adopted amid wider international restrictions on transfers of advanced semiconductor technology to China.[34]

ASML stated in June 2026 that it had never shipped an EUV lithography machine to China and that it had not shipped equipment or components specifically designed for use in an EUV system to the country. The company also said that it adjusts its business to comply with changes in applicable export-control rules.[35]

Sustainability

ASML reports environmental and social performance as part of its annual reporting. For 2025, the company reported net Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse-gas emissions of zero after compensating for remaining emissions. It stated that its underlying Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions had fallen by 60 percent compared with 2019.[6]

The company reported net Scope 3 emissions of 11.5 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent in 2025 and a 90 percent reuse rate for parts returned from factories and customer sites.[6]

Did you know about ASML Holding?

  • ASML began on 1 April 1984 as a joint venture between Philips and ASM International under the name ASM Lithography.[36]
  • ASML is the world's only commercial producer of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, according to Reuters.[37]
  • EUV lithography uses light with a wavelength of about 13.5 nanometres.[38]
  • ASML says it invested more than €6 billion in EUV research and development over a 17-year period during the technology's development.[39]
  • The company reported €32.7 billion in net sales and €9.6 billion in net income for 2025.[40]
  • ASML sold 535 systems in 2025, including 48 EUV systems, 279 DUV systems and 208 metrology and inspection systems.[41]
  • ASML's first High-NA EUV system was shipped in 2023.[42]
  • At the end of 2025, ASML reported 44,175 employees by headcount and personnel representing 143 nationalities.[43]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "About ASML", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "ASML products & services", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  3. ↑ "The $250 million ASML 'printer' behind Nvidia's chips", Reuters, 28 January 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 "Our history", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "ASML shares", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 "ASML 2025 Annual Report", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "ASML Annual Report 2025", ASML Holding N.V., U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "ASML’s founding story: our roots in the semiconductor industry", ASML, 3 April 2024, accessed 27 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "ASML’s founding story: our roots in the semiconductor industry", ASML, 3 April 2024, accessed 27 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "Our story", ASM International, accessed 27 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "ASML Completes Acquisition of Cymer", ASML, 30 May 2013, accessed 27 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "ASML to Acquire Cymer to Accelerate Development of EUV Technology", ASML, 17 October 2012, accessed 27 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "ASML Completes Acquisition of HMI", ASML, 22 November 2016, accessed 27 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "ASML acquisition of Berliner Glas Group completed", ASML, 2 November 2020, accessed 27 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "ASML divests technical glass division of Berliner Glas Group", ASML, 30 April 2021, accessed 27 September 2026.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 "EUV lithography systems", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "ASML says next-gen EUV tools ready to mass-produce chips, marking key shift for AI chip production", Reuters via Investing.com, 26 February 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  18. ↑ "ASML Annual Report 2025", ASML Holding N.V., U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  19. ↑ "ASML Annual Report 2025", ASML Holding N.V., U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  20. ↑ "Light & lasers – Lithography principles", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  21. ↑ "The $250 million ASML 'printer' behind Nvidia's chips", Reuters, 28 January 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  22. ↑ "HMI", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  23. ↑ "Measuring accuracy – Lithography principles", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  24. ↑ "ASML plots future of chipmaking tools for AI beyond EUV", Reuters via Investing.com, 2 March 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 "Financials – ASML 2025 Annual Report", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  26. ↑ "Personnel expenses and employee information", ASML Holding N.V., U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Board of Management", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  28. ↑ "Supervisory Board", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  29. ↑ "Marco Pieters, ASML’s new CTO", ASML, 12 May 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  30. ↑ "ASML Annual Report 2025", ASML Holding N.V., U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Personnel expenses and employee information", ASML Holding N.V., U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  32. ↑ "ASML discloses 2026 AGM results", ASML, 22 April 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  33. ↑ "ASML plots future of chipmaking tools for AI beyond EUV", Reuters, 2 March 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  34. ↑ "Dutch government excludes most ASML sales to China from 'dual use' export data", Reuters, 17 January 2025, accessed 27 September 2026.
  35. ↑ "ASML denies selling EUV chipmaking tool to China after report of US concern", Reuters via Euronext, 19 June 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  36. ↑ "ASML’s founding story: our roots in the semiconductor industry", ASML, 3 April 2024, accessed 27 September 2026.
  37. ↑ "The $250 million ASML 'printer' behind Nvidia's chips", Reuters, 28 January 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
  38. ↑ "EUV lithography systems", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  39. ↑ "EUV lithography systems", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  40. ↑ "ASML 2025 Annual Report", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  41. ↑ "ASML 2025 Annual Report", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  42. ↑ "Our history", ASML, accessed 27 September 2026.
  43. ↑ "ASML Annual Report 2025", ASML Holding N.V., U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipartner.org/index.php?title=Draft:ASML_Holding&oldid=615"