ASML Holding

Founded in 1984 and based in the Netherlands, ASML is the market share leader in photolithography systems used in the manufacturing of semiconductors. Photolithography is the process in which a light source is used to expose circuit patterns from a photomask onto a semiconductor wafer. The latest technological advances in this segment allow chipmakers to continually increase the number of transistors on the same area of silicon, with lithography historically representing a meaningful portion of the cost of making cutting-edge chips. Chipmakers require next-generation EUV lithography tools to continue past the 5-nanometer process node, which only ASML can provide. ASML's products are used at every major semiconductor manufacturer, including Intel, Samsung, and TSMC.