ASML, Nikon and Canon do not offer three versions of the same lithography machine. ASML sells optical projection systems using both deep ultraviolet (DUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light; Nikon’s listed semiconductor scanners are optical DUV systems; Canon’s FPA-1200NZ2C uses nanoimprint lithography, pressing a patterned mask into resist instead of projecting its image. Those differences matter more than any single headline resolution figure.
For leading-edge chip layers, ASML’s EUV portfolio sets it apart from the DUV scanners Nikon lists. Nikon competes in optical DUV lithography, including immersion systems with published resolution, overlay and throughput specifications. Canon’s nanoimprint system is a different pattern-transfer approach, with manufacturer-stated capabilities that should not be treated as a directly comparable or proven drop-in replacement for a production scanner.
At a glance: three different positions in lithography
| Company | Pattern-transfer approach | What its cited portfolio shows | How to interpret the comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASML | Optical projection using DUV and EUV | NXE EUV systems use 13.5 nm light and NA 0.33; EXE is a High-NA EUV platform at NA 0.55. The portfolio also includes DUV immersion and dry systems. | Among these three portfolios, ASML is the one with EUV systems as well as a broad DUV range. |
| Nikon | Optical projection, including DUV ArF immersion and dry ArF, KrF and i-line systems | The NSR-S636E is an ArF immersion scanner specified at 193 nm, NA 1.35, and 38 nm or finer resolution. Nikon also announced the dry ArF NSR-S333F. | A DUV optical-system competitor with published specifications for named scanner models. |
| Canon | Nanoimprint: a patterned mask is pressed into resist | Canon says the FPA-1200NZ2C can achieve a 14 nm minimum linewidth. Its announcement gives no comparable throughput or fab-qualification metrics. | A distinct imprint method, not another projection scanner. Its stated linewidth is not the same metric as a scanner’s resolution specification. |
These tools print patterns on individual layers; a lithography machine does not make a complete chip by itself. Chip manufacturing uses many process steps and layers, so a system’s role depends on the layer and process rather than on a single “smallest chip” number.
How ASML’s DUV and EUV systems differ
DUV: immersion and dry systems for different layers
ASML’s DUV portfolio includes immersion and dry lithography systems. The company describes immersion systems as workhorses for advanced logic and memory, and identifies the TWINSCAN NXT:2150i among its current tools. In immersion lithography, water sits between the final lens and the wafer, increasing numerical aperture; ASML says its immersion optics reach NA 1.35.
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ASML says dry DUV systems are often used for less complex layers because they cost less to buy and maintain. Its DUV range includes ArF, KrF and i-line systems, with uses the company describes including 3D NAND and 200 mm fabs. Those cost and use descriptions are ASML’s own characterizations, not independent comparisons of fab economics or yield.
EUV: shorter-wavelength projection for intricate layers
ASML’s NXE systems use EUV light at 13.5 nm and have NA 0.33. ASML describes them as tools for advanced logic and memory layers. Its EXE platform raises numerical aperture to 0.55; ASML states an 8 nm resolution for EXE and describes the platform as intended to support high-volume manufacturing during 2025–2026 and future advanced nodes. These are company product statements and timelines.
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The EUV optical path differs from DUV’s. ASML explains that EUV is absorbed by most materials, so the system uses multilayer mirrors rather than lenses and operates with the optical path in a vacuum. DUV immersion can have a higher NA than the cited NXE EUV systems, but NA alone does not determine the pattern a system can print: wavelength and optical design matter too.
What Nikon’s scanners offer
NSR-S636E ArF immersion scanner
Nikon specifies the NSR-S636E at a 193 nm ArF excimer wavelength, NA 1.35 and resolution of 38 nm or finer. Its listed throughput is at least 280 wafers per hour at 96 shots, and its mix-and-match overlay is 2.1 nm or better. Nikon defines mix-and-match overlay as machine-to-machine accuracy between systems of the same model, so the figure should not be read as a cross-vendor comparison.
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Nikon’s December 6, 2023 announcement says the S636E is designed for critical layers and diverse structures, including 3D devices. It attributes the scanner’s overlay and productivity approach to an enhanced inline Alignment Station, which measures wafers before exposure and corrects for wafer warpage and distortion. The release also claims output 10–15% higher than current-generation systems, subject to conditions; that is Nikon’s comparison, not an independently established result.
Other Nikon lithography systems
Nikon’s listed semiconductor lithography lineup also includes ArF immersion models NSR-S635E and NSR-S625E, dry ArF, KrF and i-line systems, and back-end digital lithography. For the S635E, Nikon lists at least 275 wafers per hour at 96 shots, with the same stated wavelength, NA, resolution threshold and overlay threshold as the S636E.
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For the dry ArF NSR-S333F, Nikon’s September 25, 2025 announcement specifies a 193 nm wavelength, NA 0.92, resolution of 65 nm or finer, throughput of at least 300 wafers per hour at 96 shots, and same-model mix-and-match overlay of 4 nm or better. Nikon said orders would begin in October 2025 and expected initial deliveries in the second half of 2026. That was the company’s announced schedule; the announcement does not establish delivery status as of October 7, 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Canon’s nanoimprint system works
Canon announced the FPA-1200NZ2C on October 13, 2023. Instead of using an optical system to project a circuit pattern onto resist, nanoimprint lithography presses a patterned mask into the resist, much like a stamp. Canon says this can reproduce fine mask patterns and form complex two- or three-dimensional patterns in a single imprint. The company presents that process as a way that may reduce cost of ownership, not as a verified comparison of manufacturing costs.
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Canon states that its nanoimprint technology enables a minimum linewidth of 14 nm, which it equates to a 5 nm node. It describes 10 nm minimum linewidth, corresponding in its announcement to a 2 nm node, as a future capability dependent on improved mask technology. These node labels are Canon’s equivalences; a node name is not a direct measurement of the physical linewidth. Canon names logic, other semiconductors and metalenses for XR optics as possible applications.
Canon’s launch announcement does not provide throughput, production-yield, installed-base or customer-adoption figures that would make a head-to-head manufacturing comparison with ASML or Nikon possible. Its 14 nm statement is a manufacturer-stated NIL capability, not an equivalent of Nikon’s scanner-resolution specification or a guarantee of production performance.
Why the headline specifications are not a league table
- Wavelength and numerical aperture work together. A higher NA does not by itself mean a system prints smaller features: optical design and wavelength also affect the result. Nikon’s 193 nm / NA 1.35 immersion specification and ASML’s 13.5 nm / NA 0.33 NXE specification describe different optical systems.
- Resolution and linewidth are not interchangeable labels. Nikon publishes a scanner resolution figure, while Canon states a minimum NIL linewidth. They are different metrics and should not be ranked as if they came from one shared test.
- Overlay has a defined scope. Nikon’s cited mix-and-match values refer to alignment between machines of the same model. They do not establish overlay performance against another manufacturer’s system.
- Throughput depends on the stated conditions. Nikon’s figures are given at 96 shots. They cannot be compared fairly with an unstated exposure condition or with a different pattern-transfer method.
- Capability is not the same as qualification or adoption. Canon’s launch announcement states a NIL capability but does not establish customer use, production yields or qualification in a manufacturing line.
What ASML’s 2025 sales figures do—and do not—show
ASML reported 48 EUV and 279 DUV system sales among 535 total system sales in 2025. It also reported €32.7 billion in total net sales that year; that is company-wide revenue, not lithography-only sales. These figures describe ASML’s business, not Nikon’s or Canon’s sales, and cannot be used to calculate market share among the three companies.
Quick Recap
Which comparison matters for a reader?
- For EUV versus DUV: ASML’s EUV systems use 13.5 nm light for intricate layers; DUV systems from ASML and Nikon cover other layers and process needs. ASML says fabs use EUV and DUV in parallel, rather than treating EUV as a universal replacement for DUV.
- For Nikon scanner specifications: Compare a named model’s wavelength, NA, resolution definition, overlay scope and throughput conditions. The S636E’s 280-wafer-per-hour figure, for example, is specified at 96 shots.
- For Canon NIL: Treat nanoimprint as a distinct pattern-transfer route with a manufacturer-stated 14 nm minimum linewidth, not as a like-for-like scanner specification. The 10 nm figure in Canon’s announcement is future-facing and dependent on mask improvements.
- For market position: The cited company data do not establish comparable market shares, installed bases, transaction prices, system-level cost of ownership, cross-vendor yields or Canon NIL customer adoption. ASML’s sales counts cannot fill those gaps.
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