ASML opens R&D campus in Silicon Valley

Bringing Brion Technologies and HMI under one roof, ASML recently opened a ‘holistic lithography campus’ in San Jose. Previously, the subsidiaries were housed in different buildings, which, although separated by a short car ride, impeded collaboration. Additionally, as the teams ramped up development of new multi-beam e-beam inspection technology, they quickly outgrew the existing lab and cleanroom space to meet their timelines.

Brion was acquired by ASML in 2007. As a specialist in computational lithography, it develops software that optimizes several aspects of the lithography process. The acquisition of HMI, formerly known as Hermes Microvision Inc., was completed in 2016. The Taiwanese company with R&D operations in Silicon Valley focuses on e-beam inspection equipment.

Together, Brion and HMI are integral to ASML’s holistic lithography suite, a set of techniques in which the design of the chip, the mask, the lithography and the metrology are coordinated to optimize the chip manufacturing process.