Development & Engineering (D&E)

Next-generation microchips start here, with the most advanced R&D in lithography and semiconductor metrology and inspection in the world

R&D at ASML is where the sharpest minds in hardware and software come together to challenge each other, learn and grow. It is made up of our Research department, which provides direction for our technology roadmap, and Development & Engineering (D&E), whose challenge is to execute it.

In Research, we fill our ‘innovation funnel’ with new ideas that we evaluate for proof of concept and pass on to D&E to develop and test. Most ASML researchers have a PhD in one of the sciences or mathematics, with many joining ASML directly after university.

Education level and job characteristics for Research

D&E is our largest R&D department, with over 16,000 employees. Spanning both hardware and software, our diverse teams of engineers work on a multitude of advanced optical and mechatronic modules, along with their application software and operating systems.

With a strong focus on time to market, D&E teams work in parallel on projects in an iterative way, known as ‘concurrent engineering’. Collaboration is key in D&E – we work with a broad landscape of different stakeholders, both internal and external.

D&E is split into ‘functional clusters’ that align with competencies required for ASML systems and allow for increased knowledge sharing among engineers.

Education level and job characteristics for D&E

Our global headquarters is our biggest R&D and manufacturing site and is home to thousands of R&D colleagues from all over the world.

Our second-largest R&D center in ASML, with expertise in mechatronics, alignment and sensor technology and world-class optical R&D and manufacturing abilities.

Our software and R&D powerhouse, specializing in computational applications to help chipmakers achieve higher manufacturing yields, as well as in e-beam metrology technology.

The epicenter for the development and manufacturing of DUV and EUV light sources for our lithography systems.

Our research and manufacturing center for a range of modules for our e-beam inspection systems.

The biggest ASML R&D center for software in Asia, working on a range of products and solutions, from process analyses, mathematical modeling, cloud computing, machine learning and big data.

Tainan is our main e-beam technology site, with R&D teams working on our e-beam inspection systems . In Linkou, our R&D focus is on our YieldStar metrology systems, and in Hsinchu, on software development.

In addition to solving challenges as members of a team, engineers can also become an ‘architect’ – the leading technical expert for a particular project.

Experienced ASML engineers can specialize in defining our high-level technology roadmaps and supporting implementation of the design and integration of the overall system.

If you’re strong technically and thrive when you are driving a project to completion, then being a project manager or project cluster manager is the job for you.

Technical experts who are able to coach and like to lead, and enjoy driving a team to success, can fulfil their potential in the role of a group leader or group manager.

We acknowledge the select few employees who make a significant contribution to the success of ASML and become recognized authorities in their specialist field. Our Fellows are highly valued technical experts who generate a lot of IP and mentor other engineers.

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