A glimpse of the temperature struggles in ASML’s EUV overlay project

During a technical review meeting at ASML, sometime in the 2000s, a problem is discussed with Zerodur, a type of glass that’s extremely form fitting. An employee of Zeiss comes forward with an explanation. The German points to the climate system of the warehouse where the material was stored: there was a problem in controlling the heat. “How can that be a problem?” Martin van den Brink asks. “We buy that material from you precisely because it’s temperature resistant.”

Besides showing the characteristic humor of the ASML CTO, the anecdote also demonstrates that heat influences are an increasing problem. Van den Brink, of course, knows all too well that even Zerodur is no miracle cure for unwanted shrinkage or expansion when it comes to the last nanometers. The hilarity of his response: in the meeting, the participants are discussing extreme requirements and control in chip production and then their supplier is bothering them with something as down to earth as a warehouse.