The portrait of ASML proposed by Dutch journalist Marc Hijink in the book ‘Focus: The Asml Way’ is extremely thorough. This Company of the Netherlands leads the manufacturing industry of photolithography teams that are necessary to produce integrated avant -garde circuits. In addition, in the short term it is very unlikely that another company will be able to compete with it from you to you. At least if we stick to extreme ultraviolet machines (UVE) that are used to make the most advanced chips.
ASML was founded in 1984 by Philips and also the Dutch International (Advanced Semiconductor Materials). The purpose of this alliance was to take advantage of the long experience of Philips in the tuning of optical equipment and lithography machines, and the knowledge of ASM in the field of integrated circuit manufacturing processes, to design and manufacture avant -garde photolithographic equipment. Today Asml holds an “invisible monopoly”, as Hijink holds in his essay.
The road to the UVE photolithography team has been long and tortuous
This book seems to me a highly recommended work for any reader interested in technology in general. And essential for those who want to know better the semiconductor industry and scrutinize it through the eyes of the European company linked to this most relevant market. The chapters that Marc Hijink dedicates to the prolegomena that gave rise to the Constitution of ASML are very interesting, but my favorites are all those in which the enormous complexity of the avant -garde photolithography machines explores.
Intel invested in 2012 no less than 4,000 million dollars to help Asml to finance the development of its UVE lithography team
This company is where it is thanks to its UVE lithography machines. And the path that has taken him to them has not been at all a path of roses. In fact, Canon and Nikon, their natural competitors, they also tried to develop these chips production equipment, but They failed in the attempt due to the enormous technical and economic resources that implied its tuning. ASML took more than two decades to have a fully functional UVE lithography machine ready, and had the economic and technological support of its best clients.
Intel invested in 2012 no less than 4,000 million dollars to help you finance the development of this chip manufacturing machine. TSMC and Samsung also economically supported this company of the Netherlands during this project. And the play did well. In fact, these are the three companies that currently have ASML UVE lithography teams. The tuning of this lithographic team has given this Dutch Company the mastery of the manufacture of high integration semiconductors.
In some moments the text of Hijink adopts a tone more similar to that of a black novel than that of an essay dedicated to technology. And it is reasonable for a reason: A ASML is currently subject to a lot of pressure by the US governments and the Netherlands. The sanctions that have deployed both in recent years prevent this company sell your most advanced equipment to your Chinese customersand Marc Hijink explores the geopolitical plot in which ASML has been involved with the rigor that deserves a situation whose end is not yet evident. At the moment ‘Focus: The Asml way’ is only available in English, but it is read effortlessly if you are minimally familiar with this language. Highly recommended.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY | ‘Focus: The Asml Way’, by Marc Hijink
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