You're wrong, your parent is correct. NL government had to block sales of ASML EUV machines to China on the US's request since they didn't want to enable China build advanced chips.
ASML definitely wanted to sell to China to increase their quarterly revenues but couldn't because the US owns the IP for the EUV tech and ASML's EUV light sources are made by CYMER in the US, which ASML bought but they're still under US trade restrictions.
So no, ASML and the NL government have to dance according to the moves dictated by the US gov as they own the keys to EUV tech, not ASML/NL.
In the grand scheme you are correct - there is enough US corporations' tech in ASML machines so that the US government has enough leverage to force ASML to comply with its export restrictions.
But your details aren't exactly right, I think. Cymer builds light sources for DUV, not EUV. The EUV light sources are built by Trumpf in Germany, at least as far as I know.
You're incorect. Trumpf doesn't make EUV light sources, just lasers. Cymer builds the EUV light sources, by blasting microparticles of tin with said Trumpf lasers to generate EUV light.
> at least as far as I know.
You could have also googled this to factcheck before posting if you were unsure ;)
Since ASML builds/integrates the machine, is there any reason why they couldn’t just pull out the EUV laser from the machine, but keep the trumpf lasers, zeiss mirrors and everything else. Then China could just copy the “shooting tin droplets with a laser at 50khz” part.
Because then the Us would get Germany to ban Zeiss and Trumpf and even if they wouldn't, the whole "shoot lasers at tin droplets" bit is insanely difficult to replicate that Canon and Nikon dropped out of the EUV race.
They already have a light source[1] which they are collaborating with Imec to get ready for EUV, apparently within 2 years[2]. It will be interresting to see how far ASML will go to get around export restriction contracts, since there are billions to be made in chinese lithography. I didn’t know that the US had the capability the control who europeans companies choose to export their products to.
ASML has suppliers in the US, so if the US does not like what ASML/NL are doing they could block exports of certain components to certain destinations.
Also remember that a lot (all?) of the circuit design software is US-based, so the supply chain could be squeezed from that direction as well.
Europe is still doing it, and when they don’t the us applies pressure through its closest European Allies. The us is very much still involved in classic Cold War stuff in Europe. The Ukrainian war has been very good to American exports of arms and liquid gas.
It is still exported, right? Calling it a donation does not suddenly make the arms free/gratis. The money still comes from somewhere and is ... exported.
