logoalt Hacker News

adrian_byesterday at 10:35 PM1 replyview on HN

There is much more in an ASML machine, besides the UV source.

So the ASML machines combine technologies developed in various places, not only in USA, even if the UV source is indeed a critical component. While an ASML machine would not work without the UV source, it would also not work without many other critical optical and mechanical components.

If it were so easy to make a lithography machine when you have a UV source, Cymer would have remained an independent company or it would have been bought by a US company. Cymer has been bought by their only customer.

The same happens when you look at a PC, it is likely that it contains something essential that comes from USA, i.e. the CPU logic may be designed by AMD, but the manufacturing technology is designed in Taiwan, the memories may be designed and made in Korea, other chips may be designed and made in Taiwan, other components come from Japan, the PCB may have been designed in Taiwan, but actually made in China, and so on.

So yes, it has some important US technology in it, but there is a very long way from a CPU logic design to a physical computer and most of that rarely has anything to do with USA.

The same happens with an ASML machine.


Replies

momoschilitoday at 1:31 AM

While this is all true, I think it should be emphasized that the EUV source and supporting it with optics (Zeiss) and other machinery is the primary engineering effort around the development of lithographic systems.

The primary difference between this machine and its predecessor is the degree to which it has been optimized around the specific EUV light source.