In the semiconductor equipment industry, I believe many people have heard that ASM, ASML and ASMPT are all listed companies and the headquarter of the first two companies are located in the Netherlands. In fact, these three companies have been closely related, and their origins can be traced back to Dutch entrepreneur Arthur del Prado, who is even recognized as the "father of European semiconductor equipment industry."
The most well-known semiconductor device ASML, actually has two older brothers, namely ASMI (ASM International, namely ASM International) and ASMPT (formerly ASM Pacific, namely ASM Pacific).
ASMI is a large Dutch semiconductor equipment factory, and the Arthur del Prado, just mentioned, is the founder and former executive of this company. ASMI was founded in the Netherlands in 1968, at the beginning of the semi-conductor industry. Founder Arthur del Prado took office until 2008, and then handed over to his son Chuck del Prado until 2020.
According to the website of The Chip History Center, Arthur del Prado is recognized as the "father of European semiconductor equipment industry". He has rare abilities to see the future of covering technology, market, personnel and business models. He played a key role in the creation of ASML, and his far-reaching experience also led to the establishment of ASM Pacific.
▲ Arthur del Prado, the father of European semiconductor equipment industry. (Source: Hanarth Fonds)
Inspired by the innovative spirit of the United States, Arthur del Prado returned to the Netherlands to create ASMIn Arthur del Prado's early life, he traveled with his wife across the United States and finally arrived in the Silicon Valley at the end of 1957. He was hired from Knapic Electro-Physics to be responsible for selling crystals to European customers as an European marketing manager. At that time, the semiconductor industry was developing vigorously, and the United States at that time also had an innovative spirit, which invisibly put flames in his heart.
(Source: The Chip History Center)
According to past media records, Arthur once recalled, "On June 28, 1958, I returned to the Netherlands, holding silicon in one hand and $500 in the other." This was also the starting point for him to invest in semiconductor equipment.
The time was pushed forward to 1968. Arthur founded ASM International (full name is Advanced Semiconductor Materials International) in the Netherlands, and began to produce the first batch of gas-deepening equipment since 1971. It also accumulated the company's reputation through magazines and exhibitions. In 1981, it went to the United States and conducted its first public offering (IPO) in Nasdaq.
(Source:ASM)
Although ASMI encountered several financial crises during its infancy, it began to focus on the development of sedimentation technology in the early 1990s, including ALD (atomic layer sedimentation) technology. Later, it purchased Finnish company Microchemistry in 1999 and Korean company Genitech in 2004, which also established the company's important position in the field of atomic layer sedimentation (ALD).
Originally, it was the Asian marketing department, and the second brother ASMPT became a semiconductor packaging giantAs for when did ASMPT be established? We are going to redirect time back to 1971.
This year, ASM began to produce the first batch of gas-deposited equipment, and Arthur also met Fico Toolings, a material manufacturer in semiconductor packaging. Afterwards, ASM became a global agent of Fico and acquired some shares in 1974, and was renamed "ASM Fico".
ASM Fico's products are mainly used for packaging and assembly of semiconductor parts. This part is mainly concentrated in Asia. Therefore, Arthur established the Asian Marketing Department (i.e. ASM Pacific, the predecessor of ASMPT) in 1975, mainly for selling ASM Fico's products, but as time evolved, the company also extended its production capabilities.
(Source: Technology News)
According to the official ASMPT website, ASM Pacific Technology was first established as the Asian marketing department of its parent company ASM in 1975. It was listed in Hong Kong in 1989 and later became the market leader of semiconductor rear assembly and packaging equipment.
ASM sold most shares in ASMPT in 2013 and still retains a small number of shares to this day. However, in order to avoid confusion with ASMI, it was changed to "ASMPT" (ASMPT Limited).
Almost abandoned by Flylips! Brother ASML accidental reverse upper semi-conductor exposure machine dragon headAfter chatting about the stories of two brothers, I will talk about the story of my younger brother ASML. I believe that no one expected that the last younger brother was originally a department that was in a shortage of funds, and finally became a very important dragon character in the semiconductor supply chain.
The development of ASML cannot be separated from the physical experiment room of Flylips "Natlab". This laboratory is similar to the American AT&T Bell laboratory. In addition to conducting industrial research, it also conducts a large number of basic research simultaneously. This laboratory has developed breakthrough technologies including wireless, and has created many world-changing inventions.
(Source:ASML)
At the end of 1962, Natlab's inspection team went to the United States to visit the Bell laboratory and saw the semiconductor chips displayed by researchers, becoming one of the machines for the Flylips research and exposure machines. Although an exposure machine prototype was initially made that could be repeatedly exposed, it was not highly valued. Even if some research results were made later, it was difficult to convert it as an international product.
Since 1978, Airlip Science and Industry (S&I) has promoted commercialization under the name of an automatic stepper PAS2000.
▲ Automatic stepper PAS2000. (Source: The Chip History Center)
But at the same time, Airlips also fell into financial difficulties in 1980, and had to find business opportunities and reduce costs. However, due to internal and external conflicts, Airlips began to consider selling non-core businesses such as exposure machines, but several large companies were not interested. Therefore, the Ministry of Science and Industry (S&I) often seeks additional funds from the Dutch Government and the European Commission.
In fact, due to the excitement of semiconductor industry, many government agencies and interesting but unfamiliar business entities are constantly looking for opportunities. During an international conference, the Dutch Economic Affairs Department, Flylips and ASMI held a tripartite conversation, and ASMI founder Arthur proposed to use ASMI as a potential solution because he was interested in Flylips' exposure.
However, for the veteran company Airlips, a new company like ASMI is simply a "rising" and therefore no immediate answer was made. But after seeing ASMI gradually grow and thrive, even after Nasdaq went public in the United States, AirLips, which continued to suffer financial difficulties, changed its previous attitude and decided to establish a joint venture with ASMI. Both parties each hold 50% of the shares and named ASM Lithography (the predecessor of ASML), which was officially established in 1984.
It’s a pity that shortly after the establishment of the Hequan Company, the entire semiconductor market fell into a halt, and ASMI began to appear in trouble, and the development of ASML exposure machines was quite expensive, and the company sold only 12 exposure machines in 1986. Against this backdrop, ASM finally sold its shares in ASML in 1988, and Arthur's exposure was a shattering dream, but it also created a dragon's rise.
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