Software plays an important role at ASML and can be found throughout our product portfolio. Without our software solutions, it would be impossible for chipmakers to manufacture increasingly advanced and energy-efficient chips.
Software in Silicon Valley, California
ASML San Jose’s software R&D department is responsible for modelling, optimizing and controlling the optical phenomena that occur inside our lithography machines. The team develops leading-edge resolution enhancement solutions that chipmakers need to manufacture today’s most advanced microchips.
In Silicon Valley, we develop a suite of C++ and Python applications that measure and optimize the light and optics inside the lithography machine while simultaneously optimizing the design and performance of the reticle, which contains the pattern of the chip to be printed on the wafer. We also develop applications to help control the machine’s alignment, overlay (the alignment among the printed layers on a chip) and heating impact.
In addition to software architecture and design professionals, our team also includes experts in optical and electron physics, photoresist chemistry, machine learning and modern optimization algorithms.
Software in Wilton, Connecticut
Our Wilton software development team creates the embedded and calibration performance and diagnostics software for the lithography machine modules produced in our Wilton Factory. We develop and service the production software, but are also responsible for the software involved in configuration control, process development, testing and simulation. Our teams in Wilton collaborate with our software colleagues around the world to ensure we deliver the most advanced software to our customers.
Software in San Diego, California
Our San Diego software teams help to advance the development of Cymer deep ultraviolet (DUV) excimer and ASML extreme ultraviolet (EUV) laser light sources for ASML’s lithography machines. We develop embedded C/ C++ solutions, following Agile methodologies, that support multi-core microprocessor architectures, code advanced algorithms, develop extensive test-tool architectures and use machine learning to keep our lithography systems running smoothly.
Working in software at ASML in the US
Our software engineers create solutions that allow us to run, measure and optimize our lithography machines and to streamline chipmakers’ manufacturing processes.
Embedded software
All our lithography systems make use of our embedded software, which steers and controls our machines. Under development for the last 30 years, our embedded software code base is now comprised of millions of lines of code. We increasingly rely on an industry-leading technique called model-driven engineering (MDE) to improve our code, providing our business with a competitive advantage and our customers with complete confidence in our machines.
Scanner metrology software
Software also coordinates the behavior of the powerful mechatronic modules inside our lithography systems (also known as ‘scanners’). It is needed to position the silicon wafers at rapid speed, with nanometer precision.
Our scanner metrology software helps measure and compensate for the sub-nanometer inaccuracies that inevitably creep in during production due to material imperfections, temperature fluctuations or atmospheric pressure changes. It calculates how our hardware should behave to correct for this, coordinating the many components to maximize system performance.
Application software
Our application software allows our customers to optimize production. It is essentially our ‘off-machine’ software, which is used for system calibration, diagnostics, evaluation and automation, helping our customers interact with their systems.
A user interface sits on top of our application software. This is an increasingly important component, providing a seamless user experience for the increasing number of people that need to work with our application software thanks to advancing digitization.
Computational lithography software
Computational lithography software is a relatively new field in the semiconductor industry. It’s a technique that’s used to ensure the structures patterned onto a silicon wafer don’t deform when we scale down to nanometer resolutions.
Our work in computational lithography focuses on developing accurate simulation models of the semiconductor patterning process. However, today’s advanced chips have billions of transistors, and the resulting models can quickly become computationally intensive. So, our computational software also finds clever ways to simplify the model.
Integrated machine learning
Our software teams have been developing machine learning tools for years to dramatically speed up the simulation and manufacturing process.
The methodologies used to develop rigorous physical models and machine learning models are very similar. Both need lots of experimental results and data to shape the prediction, but machine learning saves a lot of time and effort, while improving accuracy and consistency.
Machine learning also presents an opportunity to more fully utilize the large amounts of data generated in a manufacturing environment to enhance process control.
Our programming languages
At ASML, we use Java to develop tools that give chipmakers insight into their manufacturing process. Java is also used in diagnostic tools that help our customer support engineers keep our machines running in fabs around the world.
Our C++ code base is a highly portable and multi-layered system that keeps pace with the chip-making industry and enables us to deep-dive into novel problems.
We use Python for calibration and performance monitoring of every machine in our product portfolio, allowing our customers to create state-of-the-art computer chips using a range of diagnostic tools and an intuitive user interface.
You probably haven’t used C# the way we use it at ASML. As one of our software developers, you’ll get the opportunity to develop machine control software and implement complex algorithms.
Career tracks in software
Software developmentThere are plenty of opportunities for developers and algorithm engineers to design and implement software at ASML.
ArchitectureASML’s software architects develop high-level concepts and designs while collaborating closely with colleagues.
Testing & integrationOur test engineers safeguard the quality of our products, while our integrators ensure that our products are well connected.
Agile & leadershipColleagues have the opportunity to develop into various leadership roles, including technical leaders, project leaders and people managers.
Meet Arjun Maheskumar, Software Architect
Meet Nabil Dawahre, Technical Project Manager Application Engineer
Meet Ricardo Duran-Rodriguez, Software Engineer
Meet Virginia Menezes, Software Engineer Team Lead
Whether you love theory or code, we have the opportunity for you.
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