Interviewed by Dag Spicer on 2025-09-16
© Computer History Museum
This oral history documents the professional trajectory and technical leadership of Martin van den Brink, longtime architect of lithography systems at ASML. Through a detailed recounting of his early education, entry into Philips and ASML, and subsequent decades of engineering work, van den Brink describes the evolution of optical lithography from early step-and-repeat systems to immersion and EUV technologies.
The interview highlights his central role in advancing alignment, optics, and mechatronic subsystems; in developing partnerships with key suppliers such as Zeiss and Cymer; and in shaping ASML’s modular design philosophy and collaborative research culture with institutions like IMEC. Van den Brink reflects on the shifting dynamics of semiconductor manufacturing, the decline of vertically integrated research labs, and the rise of computational lithography and multi-patterning. His narrative offers a first-person account of the technological, organizational, and industrial forces that enabled ASML to become the world’s leading lithography supplier.
- Note: Transcripts represent what was said in the interview. However, to enhance meaning or add clarification, interviewees have the opportunity to modify this text afterward. This may result in discrepancies between the transcript and the video. Please refer to the transcript for further information – http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/300000158
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Catalog number: 300000159
Acquisition number: 2025.0135
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