A few weeks ago, Tweakers published a transcript of the interview with Martin van den Brink, ASML’s top technical guy. We also recorded that interview and you can find the audio version here.

This special podcast from Tweakers is Interview by Olaf van Miltenberg with Martin van den Brink, Technical Director of ASML† The CEO talks about an introduction to euv technology: the most important choice in the history of ASML, which makes machines for producing chips.

These machines contain a light source to polish the patterns on a chip through a mask. This is how they apply chip structures. The shorter the wavelength of light, the smaller the chip structures can be and thus the chip is more economical and faster.

ASML now manufactures highly complex chip machines that operate based on the intense ultraviolet radiation of 13.5 nanometers. The operation of these systems was an unprecedented feat, but the importance was also very great. The development of the entire chip industry was largely dependent on this. If there is one person who has played a critical role in ASML, it is CTO Martin van den Brink. He joined the company in 1984 and not only saw its growth but also shaped it.

Being able to listen to this is special, because Van den Brink never gives interviews. He talks about commercial successes and obstacles, as well as the physical principles underlying the different generations of machines. It’s about systems that were created, but never appeared, and so much more. It turned out to be too short to tell the whole story and ended abruptly, but it does give a special insight into ASML’s evolution into the most powerful chipmaker.