ASML announced during its quarterly results presentation that it had delivered its first TWINSCAN XT:260 to a customer. This lithography machine has been specifically developed for advanced packaging applications.
The announcement coincided with the publication of the third-quarter 2025 results, in which the company outlined new technological milestones alongside its financial figures.
The XT:260 is intended for use in 3D integration processes, such as the production of interposers that assemble multiple chiplets. The scanner uses i-line lithography with a wavelength of 365 nanometers and a resolution of approximately 400 nanometers. The production speed is around 270 wafers per hour, which is up to 4 times higher than that of existing packaging solutions. With this, ASML aims to reduce the gap between front-end lithography and back-end processes that connect and package chips.
CEO Christophe Fouquet (photo) emphasized at the quarterly presentation that advanced packaging is becoming an increasingly important part of the semiconductor chain. According to him, technologies developed by ASML in its existing scanners can be partially applied in this new generation of systems. The company did not disclose which customer received the first system.
The XT:260 had already been announced earlier. During ASML’s Investor Day in November 2024, Herman Boom, head of the DUV division, said that the machine would be shipped later in 2025. He explained at the time that the system reduces the pattern on the masks twice rather than four times, enabling it to scan an exposure field of 26 by 33 millimeters. This larger field makes the system suitable for packaging applications, where larger surfaces are often exposed.
ASML makes transport more sustainable
The development is part of a broader strategy in which ASML is expanding its role towards the back end of semiconductor production. At the same time, the company is exploring ways to make deliveries more sustainable; the XT:260 is one of the systems that could be transported by ship rather than plane. The introduction of this scanner, therefore, represents not only a technological but also a logistical step forward for ASML.
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