ASML PAS2500/10 Lithography machine

The museum is proud that we have been able to add an ASML lithography machine to the collection: the PAS 2500/10 from 1986. This was the first lithography system developed entirely by ASML itself. The machine marks the beginning of a long series of innovative systems that have revolutionized the electronics industry. With the addition of the machine to the museum’s collection, we complete the story of lithography: from early stoneprinting to the contemporary microchip technology.

Some specifications of the machine:

• The system was able to image lines of 900 nanometers. With the latest machine this is smaller than 10 nanometers. For comparison: a hair grows on average 8 nanometers per second.
• A microchip consists of many layers that this machine was able to place on top of each other with an accuracy of 250 nanometers. Current systems do this with an accuracy of approximately 2 nanometers.
  The maximum wafer size was 150 millimeters. Since the beginning of the century, wafers with a diameter of 300 millimeters have usually been used.
• The production capacity was a maximum of 66 wafers of 150 millimeters per hour. New systems can produce up to 350 wafers per hour, which are also much larger.
• Lithography is the core technology in making computer chips. This system, which looks simple according to today’s standards, was the cream of the crop in the field of lithography in 1986. At the time, ASML was still a small player. In the meantime, the company has grown into the most important supplier in the lithography market with a market share of more than 80%. This means that more than 80% of all modern computer chips are (partly) made on an ASML machine.