ASML Holding NV

ASML: Founded in 1984 and based in the Netherlands, ASML is the market share leader in photolithography systems used in the manufacturing of semiconductors. Photolithography is the process in which a light source is used to expose circuit patterns from a photomask onto a semiconductor wafer. The latest technological advances in this segment allow chipmakers to continually increase the number of transistors on the same area of silicon, with lithography historically representing a meaningful portion of the cost of making cutting-edge chips. Chipmakers require next-generation EUV lithography tools to continue past the 5-nanometer process node, which only ASML can provide. ASML's products are used at every major semiconductor manufacturer, including Intel, Samsung, and TSMC.