Dutch semiconductor-equipment maker ASML Holding NV (ASML.AE) Wednesday got the European tech earnings season off to a strong start, posting record third quarter sales as major global chip companies invest in capacity growth and the latest chip making equipment.

ASML, the world's largest maker of multi-million dollar lithography systems that map out electronic circuits on silicon wafers, said net profit was EUR268.5 million in the quarter ended Sept. 30, sharply up from EUR20 million in the same period a year earlier when demand