AIXTRON acquires a 70% interest in Swedish CVD equipment manufacturer EPIGRESS

AIXTRON AG has today announced that both companies have signed an agreement under which a 70% majority interest in EPIGRESS AB is sold to AIXTRON AG. EPIGRESS AB is an internationally operating equipment manufacturer for specialty compound semiconductor materials like SiC (Silicon-Carbide) or SiGe (Silicon-Germanium). EPIGRESS was founded in 1993 and has today 13 highly qualified employees. Sales in fiscal year 2000 are planned to reach approx. 40 mil. SEK with 15% ROS before tax.

SiC shows much promise for high temperature, high power and high frequency applications, while SiGe is a material for low power devices as used in communication chips with extended requirements such that cannot be served by the regular Silicon semiconductor. EPIGRESS AB provides both crystal growth furnaces to synthesize the SiC wafer for use as semiconductor substrates, which in turn are required to form the crystalline SiC layers for the functional devices on top. The latter SiC layers can then be synthesized using EPIGRESS CVD equipment as well. Any formation of useful SiC takes place at elevated temperatures as high as 1600 to 2000°C, that is why conventional CVD equipment cannot be used for such purposes. EPIGRESS, whose management can today look back to over 15 years of experience in CVD technology, has focussed its technological development over the last 5 years towards this special technology and has built up a leading position in this application. The management of both companies expect further benefits coming from the combination of this particular know-how with AIXTRON´s expertise in such high temperature systems too. The EPIGRESS SiGe technology is an advanced CVD process originally developed and patented by IBM. EPIGRESS holds a worldwide licence for this equipment and process and has already begun to market the tool.

Both companies intend to further enhance the existing operations of EPIGRESS in Lund/Sweden during the future growth phase, while continuing with the same management under its General Manger Dr. Jan-Olov Fornell, benefiting from group synergies in the fields of research and development, services and logistics. The equipment made in Sweden will continue to be distributed worldwide under the established trade name of "EPIGRESS".