A Long Time In Finance The Turning Point: The Story of ASML
Mar 6, 2026
Brian Potter, Chief Infrastructure Fellow and semiconductor expert, explains ASML’s rise from Dutch origins to global lithography leader. Short, punchy segments cover how lithography shapes chips, the race to shorter wavelengths, the EUV breakthrough, and why ASML—not Nikon or Canon—took the lead. Stories include industry politics, big chipmaker investments, and a decade‑long technological gamble.
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Diffraction Pushed Lithography To Shorter Wavelengths
- Moore's Law drove relentless shrinking of transistor features until optical diffraction limited progress.
- Overcoming diffraction required moving to ever shorter wavelengths, pushing lithography from visible light down to 193nm and beyond.
NTT Researcher Sparked EUV With Multilayer Mirrors
- Hiroo Kinoshita at NTT explored soft X‑rays and multi‑layer mirrors to reflect rather than lens EUV light.
- His early successes in the late 1980s seeded interest at Bell Labs and elsewhere despite widespread scepticism.
Intel Stepped In To Coordinate EUV Development
- Intel and the US government funded early EUV development, then Intel organised a consortium (EUV LLC) when US funding waned.
- That pooled industry resources to keep EUV progressing despite uncertainty.