ASML productivized (in a two decade process with many partners) foundational research licensed from US national labs, research which the Japanese (Nikon & Canon) were barred from licensing due to their then-dominant position. Though it seems unlikely to me that Canon would've gone for it, considering that they never got into ArF lithography.
I would love to know more about the inside history and origin story of ASML. Does anyone know of any good podcasts or blogs/interviews covering some of this?
Update - I just watched it through and it's actually pretty interesting. A bit on the history, then how the tech works, then on the geopolitics of not supplying China with EUV and the like. Interviews the CEO and the Chip Wars guy.
The tech's quite cool in the latest one with 13nm UV. It's absorbed by all known substances so has to operate in a vacuum and the light is produced by them squirting liquid tin at 4000 psi and then zapping the droplets with a 30 KW laser. The machine takes three fully loaded 747s to ship.
I think this stuff may be a bit of a bottle neck with Sam Altman's proposal to invest $7tr in chip making - they are the only people making the state of the art machines and are pretty much flat out already.
