ASML公司2011年销售创造纪录，预计2012年上半年将持续走强

前景展望

ASML公司2011年度净销售额和净收入达到创纪录的水平，网上预订42011欧元的710型（37台），建议股息每股从0.40欧元涨至0.46欧元。

ASML公司预计2012年上半年净销售额为2.4亿欧元。预计2012年第一季度在高于2011年第四季度预订的水平预订。2012年第一季度，ASML预计净销售额约12亿欧元。销售额的毛利率预计将在2012年第一季度的43%左右。第一季度的研发费用预计为1.45亿欧元，以支持我们的战略投资。SG&A的成本预计为54万欧元。

“We achieved 2011 record sales and profit in line with guidance initially issued a year ago, confirming the robustness of the fundamentals of the lithography business and the value of our systems. We thank our customers for their support and our employees for their hard work and dedication in realizing our potential,” said Eric Meurice, President and Chief Executive Officer of ASML. “We expect a healthy start for 2012, as we plan Q1 2012 bookings at a level above that of Q4 2011 and a first half sales level of about EUR 2.4 billion. Our customers are indeed continuing their introductions of advanced chip designs with the need to build critical mass capacity for those nodes. This trend is extended from 2011 for the Logic segment, accelerating for NAND Flash memory and expected to kick in for DRAM memory later in the year. Our customers’ development of these sub 30-nanometer nodes is supported by our portfolio of advanced TWINSCAN NXT:1950i immersion scanners and our widening portfolio of Holistic Lithography add-on products enabling optimized modeling and manufacturing within ever tighter tolerances. For the next generation nodes, we continue to make progress in bringing EUV technology to the market: we have achieved a low but relatively stable throughput at customer sites with our NXE:3100 system, enabling them to further their recipe development. Indeed, more than 5,300 wafers have now been processed and imaging at 16 nm exposure has been demonstrated, driving the development of the necessary EUV infrastructure and customer processes. In parallel, we are focusing on the light source, which currently limits the system throughput, to reach our objective of proven 60 wafers per hour in the second half of 2012. The work packages required for success to increase raw light power, raise duty cycle and improve conversion efficiency, have been identified and the progress in each area supports our roadmap at this time,” Meurice said.

第四季度和全年2011年亮点We recognized 101 immersion systems in the full year 2011, 78 of which were our most advanced production system TWINSCAN NXT:1950i

The overlay accuracy of the TWINSCAN NXT:1950i improved to 4 nanometers from 5.5 nanometers on product wafers to levels that are sufficient to support most advanced manufacturing nodes.

A number of TWINSCAN NXT:1950i have reached the productivity milestone of more than 4,000 wafers in a single day at customer manufacturing sites – one system within 15 days after installation.

More than 300 systems processed more than one million wafers each within one year, and four TWINSCAN NXT:1950i systems achieved the milestone of imaging one million wafers within 11 months.

Holistic Lithography add-ons, which optimize mask design through Brion computational lithography and which improve scanner control using Yieldstar metrology, generated close to EUR 200 million of sales in 2011.

Of our new EUV lithography platform five NXE:3100 systems are operational and printing wafers, the sixth system is expected to start imaging in Q1 2012 with revenue recognition for this system expected in Q2 2012.

Imaging performance of the NXE:3100 has improved, demonstrating imaging resolution with enhancement technology down to 16 nanometer in single exposure mode.

The productivity of our Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) systems improved to 5-7 wafers per hour at customer sites supported by several source technologies, targeting 60 wafers per hour later in 2012.

During the quarter, the number of exposed wafers on NXE:3100 systems more than doubled to a total of over 5,300 wafers.

Assembly and integration of several NXE:3300 scanners is ongoing -- the volume production successor of the NXE:3100 -- for first shipment in the second half of 2012; a total of 11 NXE:3300 systems have been ordered.

股息和股份回购计划Due to ASML's strong financial position and operating cash flow prospects, we intend to continue to return excess cash to shareholders through regular share buy backs and increasing dividends, thus rewarding our shareholders for their continued investment.

ASML intends to increase the dividend by 15% compared with last year. Therefore, we will submit a proposal to the 2012 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) to declare a dividend in respect of 2011 of EUR 0.46 per ordinary share (for a total amount of approximately EUR 190 million), compared with a dividend of EUR 0.40 per ordinary share paid in respect of 2010. The proposed dividend represents 13 percent of net income per ordinary share.

As of December 31, 2011 ASML had purchased 25.7 million shares for a total amount of EUR 700.0 million as part of its intention, as announced on January 19, 2011, to purchase up to EUR 1,000 million of its own shares within two years. The purpose of the share buy back program is to return cash to shareholders through reduction of the number of issued shares. Of the shares purchased, 13.2 million have been cancelled in 2011 with the remaining shares to be cancelled in 2012. In order to fully use the maximum room available in 2012 for dividend withholding tax-exempt share buy backs, ASML announces at this time to increase the size of the current share buy back program to an amount of EUR 1,130 million for 2012. The company has an opportunity to execute a synthetic share buy back, similar to the one in 2007, of well over one billion euros, which will be decided upon in due time.

Furthermore, ASML announces its intention to purchase up to 2.2 million of additional shares during 2012 for the purpose of covering outstanding employee stock and stock option plans. These shares will be held as treasury shares.

Both share buy back programs will be executed within the limitations of the existing authority granted by the AGM on April 20, 2011 and, if granted, of the authority proposed to future AGMs.