ASML Patent Portfolio Analysis

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Disclaimer:

This report has been updated through 14 November 2025. The information is provided for reference only and does not represent any opinion, recommendation, or endorsement.

Overview

ASML Holding N.V. is a Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer with a substantial global patent portfolio. Its patents cover lithography, optics, and photonics technologies used in chip production. The portfolio has expanded steadily across major semiconductor markets.

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Key Metrics:

Total Patents: 38,106
Simple Families: 8,412
Extended Families: 7,408
Jurisdictions Covered: 32
Litigated Patents: 25
Challenged Patents: 7

Asset Status:

Active: 21,057
Active Grants: 12,296
Active Applications: 8,761
Inactive: 16,878 Expired: 911

Jurisdictional Distribution

ASML’s patents span 32 jurisdictions, with the United States and Japan accounting for a significant share of filings.

United States (US): 8,123
Japan (JP): 5,248
Taiwan (TW): 4,560
World Intellectual Property Organization (WO): 4,275
China (CN): 4,043
South Korea (KR): 3,858
European Patent Office (EP): 3,132
Netherlands (NL): 1,943
Israel (IL): 768
Singapore (SG): 730

Total Patents across jurisdictions: 38,106

Technological Distribution

Semiconductor technologies account for the majority of ASML’s patents, followed by healthcare, computing systems, and imaging innovations.

Semiconductor: 24,525
Healthcare: 4,753
Computer Systems and Components: 2,459
Imaging: 1,106
Software: 979
Industrial: 957
Consumer Electronics: 673
Consumer Goods: 179
Networking: 132
Automotive: 68

Citations

Top Citing Assignees (Forward Citations)

ASML Holding N.V. – 6,250
Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung – 1,247
KLA Corporation – 940
Canon Inc. – 884
Nikon Corporation – 873
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. – 823
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited – 670
Applied Materials Incorporated – 496
Komatsu Ltd. – 459
International Business Machines Corporation – 291

Top Cited Assignees (Backward Citations)

ASML Holding N.V. – 14,824
Nikon Corporation – 6,538
Canon Inc. – 5,415
Hitachi, Ltd. – 3,115
KLA Corporation – 3,013
Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung – 3,008
Toshiba Corporation – 2,320
Applied Materials Incorporated – 2,269
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited – 1,567
Tokyo Electron Limited – 1,524

Top Cited Patents

US5969441A – 1,376 citations
US6208407B1 – 878 citations
US6952253B2 – 861 citations
WO2004057589A1 – 764 citations
US6778257B2 – 736 citations
US6603130B1 – 732 citations
WO2009078708A1 – 624 citations
US6046792A – 619 citations
WO2009106279A1 – 585 citations
US6262796B1 – 549 citations

Top Citing Patents

US11669021B2 – 450 backward citations
US11275316B2 – 444 backward citations
US10761433B2 – 430 backward citations
US10222711B2 – 416 backward citations
US9851644B2 – 415 backward citations
US9436096B2 – 412 backward citations
US8947631B2 – 410 backward citations
US8941810B2 – 409 backward citations
US10678139B2 – 402 backward citations
US10180629B2 – 399 backward citations

Litigation Activities

ASML has been involved in limited litigation over the years, primarily related to patent disputes in the semiconductor equipment industry. Activity has been modest and concentrated in a few key years.

Litigation Activity by Filing Year

Early activity in 2000–2001, with 8 litigated patents.
Renewed cases in 2017–2018, involving 15 litigated patents.

Top Plaintiffs

ASML Holding N.V. – 4 (Operating Company)
SVC Lithography Systems Incorporated – 1
Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung – 1
Kohlberg & Company LLC – 1

Top Defendants

Nikon Corporation – 3
Synopsys Incorporated – 1
Veeco Instruments Incorporated – 1
ASML Holding N.V. – 1

Top Venues

District of Massachusetts (D. Mass.) – 2
Northern District of California (N.D. Cal.) – 2
Central District of California (C.D. Cal.) – 1
District of Columbia (D.D.C.) – 1

Ownership and Acquisition

Ownership Type

Acquired Patents: 1,258
Originally Assigned Patents: 36,848

Sources of Acquired Patents

Operating Companies: 873
NPEs: 35
Universities: 6
Other Sources: 68

ASML’s portfolio is predominantly in-house developed, with a small share of acquired patents mainly from operating companies in semiconductor and precision optics fields.

Patenting Activity by Estimated Expiration Year

Patenting Activity by Publication/Issue Year

Notable Acquisitions and M&A

2016 – Hermes Microvision (US$3.1 B)
Acquisition of Taiwan-based HMI to integrate e-beam inspection and metrology tools with ASML’s lithography systems.
2012 – Cymer (US$2.5 B)
Acquisition of Cymer to internalize critical light source technology essential for EUV lithography.
2001 – Silicon Valley Group (US$1.6 B)
Purchase of SVG expanded ASML’s U.S. footprint and stepper technology portfolio.

Business Performance

ASML Holding N.V. (Ticker: ASML) publishes full annual and quarterly financials.

FY 2024 net sales were €28.3 billion, with net income of €7.6 billion, reflecting steady demand across semiconductor segments. (Source: GlobeNewswire)
The FY 2024 gross margin stood at 51.3 %, consistent with ASML’s long-term profitability range.
(Source: ASML Annual Report 2024)
Q1 2025 results showed net sales of €7.7 billion, a 54.0 % gross margin, and net income of €2.4 billion, indicating strong operational performance early in the year.
(Source: ASML Investor Relations)
For FY 2025, ASML projects total revenue between €30 billion and €35 billion with a gross margin of 51–53 %, supported by EUV system shipments and customer capacity expansion.
(Source: GlobeNewswire)

Headquarters

ASML Holding N.V.
De Run 6501, 5504 DR Veldhoven, The Netherlands
Registered in the Netherlands – Chamber of Commerce No. 17085815

Conclusion

ASML’s patent portfolio includes over 38,000 assets across 32 jurisdictions, covering lithography, optics, and photonics technologies central to chip manufacturing. Most patents are internally developed, complemented by key acquisitions of technology suppliers such as Cymer, SVG, and HMI. Litigation activity remains minimal relative to portfolio size.

Financially, ASML continues to report strong margins and revenue growth supported by expanding EUV adoption and semiconductor demand worldwide. The company’s IP holdings align closely with its manufacturing leadership in advanced lithography systems.

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