ASML, a Dutch semiconductor lithography equipment corporations, said on the 12th that it officially opened its new "Hwaseong Campus" in Songdong, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. About 80 people, including ASML customers, government and local government officials, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Korea, and partners, attended the campus opening ceremony held that day.
ASML Korea released in Nov. 2022 that it planned to invest about 240 billion won to establish the Hwaseong Campus to cooperate with Korea's semiconductor industry. The ASML Hwaseong Campus, which opened that day, was built on urban support facility land in Songdong, Hwaseong, with a total floor area of 16,000 square meters. Building A has 4 underground floors and 11 aboveground floors, and Building B has 4 underground floors and 5 aboveground floors. Building A houses major office space, while Building B includes an R&R Center (Repair & Reuse Center) and a training center.
The training center offers advanced courses on lithography (a technique that uses photo printing on semiconductor surfaces to form wiring patterns and more) equipment. More than 100 programs are operated annually for about 2,000 trainees from ASML and customers. The training programs also include extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and deep ultraviolet (DUV) equipment, which are essential for semiconductor ultra-fine processes. ASML also plans to provide training on "high numerical aperture (NA) EUV" equipment going forward. High-NA EUV has the same wavelength of light as the previous generation EUV but increases the NA, a measure of the lens's ability to gather light.
The R&R Center, set up to promote resource circulation and carbon reduction, handles customer repair responses and the reuse of repair parts. The company said, "We plan to gradually expand equipment maintenance and parts repair," adding, "In addition, we are actively applying ESG principles on-site, including more support for public transit and walking commuters and restrictions on single-use items."
The ASML Hwaseong Campus buildings have earned both LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a global green building certification, and G-SEED, Korea's green building certification. About 200 solar panels are installed, producing approximately 133.5 megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean electricity annually. The company said this can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 67 tons a year.
ASML Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Christophe Fouquet said, "It was a highly strategic decision to build a campus in Hwaseong," adding, "The new Hwaseong Campus is a symbolic space that shows ASML's commitment to trust, innovation, sustainability, and growth with Korean customers." He also said, "Being in Hwaseong, where major semiconductor manufacturers are located, enables closer cooperation and faster technical support," adding, "As semiconductor manufacturing processes become more complex, this proximity will also contribute to efficient technology transfer."
ASML is the world's No. 1 semiconductor lithography equipment corporations, founded in 1984 in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. It exclusively produces EUV lithography equipment essential for implementing ultra-fine semiconductor processes. In 1996, it established ASML Korea and has been conducting various businesses centered on Hwaseong, Icheon, and Pyeongtaek, including equipment sales, maintenance, and repairs. As of last year, it posted annual sales of about 43 trillion won.
With the completion of the Hwaseong Campus, ASML Korea is sequentially conducting the transfer of personnel and equipment. Once the transfer is completed by the end of 2025, more than 1,500 employees who had been dispersed across the Hwaseong area will work together at the new campus. Choi Han-jong, ASML Korea CEO, said, "Building on the achievements we have made together with the Korean semiconductor industry, we will do our best to make ASML Korea a source of pride that gives our employees a sense of pride."