!!! Press Release !!!

AIXTRON ENTERS TECHNOLOGY LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH AMBERWAVE SYSTEMS CORPORATION

License and Development Agreement to Ready CVD Equipment for
Strained Silicon Technology

Aachen (Germany) and Salem, NH (US), 16th May 2002 ------ AIXTRON AG (FSE: AIX), the leading global supplier of semiconductor epitaxy equipment, and AmberWave Systems Corporation, a world class leader in advanced semiconductor intellectual property (IP), today announced a license and development agreement for CVD equipment for strained silicon technology. Under the agreement, over the next three years AIXTRON and AmberWave will jointly develop and qualify CVD equipment for the production of silicon germanium (SiGe) and strained silicon epitaxial layers.

The worldwide license allows AIXTRON to use AmberWave's technology to continue to develop both single and multiwafer strained silicon epitaxy equipment. AmberWave's high-mobility MOS™ strained silicon solution completely redefines the existing silicon roadmap, and ultimately the semiconductor industry, by offering the speed of gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium phosphide (InP) materials but with silicon cost and infrastructure. AIXTRON`s HeteroWafer® Technology serves as the adapter CVD technology for new combinations of materials as required in next generation, advanced semiconductor chips used in data processing, data communication and optoelectronic ICs.

"This agreement is another step towards bringing SiGe technology to the mainstream," said Mark Wolf, CEO of AmberWave. "AIXTRON's progress in high-volume, specialized semiconductor equipment manufacturing and compound semiconductor multiwafer technology make it a clear choice to license AmberWave's technology."

AIXTRON has installed two of their AIX 2600G3 systems at AmberWave for development of basic SiGe technology with three-fold throughput. This multiwafer platform has the capability of reducing the production costs associated with conventional single wafer epitaxy equipment. The availability of low cost SiGe technology will also enable other advanced technologies such as Three-Five-on-Silicon (TFOS)-based critical, advanced components on silicon substrates.

"The advent of such SiGe technology is part of a dream that manufacturing engineers in semiconductor technologies had for decades," Said AIXTRON´s President Holger Juergensen. "It's not only about enhancing performance of standard silicon technology, but in particular is going to reduce cost for advanced Compound Semiconductor devices which we already widely use today. Tens of billions of LED chips are produced annually. Now there is a route to do this on low-cost, large-area Silicon wafers. This could mean a quantum leap for LED cost reductions on its way replacing conventional lighting by LED in general illumination. We are very enthusiastic about this acceleration in developments."

As a separate advancement, AIXTRON will further develop this technology for 300 mm applications with its Tricent® CVD Cluster Platform. AIXTRON tools will aim to use Silicon substrates to enable Three-Five-on-Silicon (TFOS)-based critical, advanced components such as HBTs, PHEMTs, MESFETs, LEDs, Lasers, Detectors and VCSELs used in fibre optic communications systems, wireless and mobile telephony applications, optical storage devices and a range of other leading edge technologies.

About AmberWave:
Based in Salem, NH, AmberWave Systems Corporation is a privately held, venture-financed company that is redefining the silicon roadmap. Launching from its strained silicon MOS™ platform, AmberWave propels its partners beyond the constraints of current silicon technology to leverage its innovative roadmap for both today and tomorrow. Led by a team of engineers and executives combining more than 95 man years of expertise developing silicon germanium (SiGe) technology with strategic business know-how, AmberWave is well-positioned to redefine the silicon roadmap and open the door for future generations of wireless, electronic and optical applications. With strong financial support from Adams Capital, Arch Venture Partners, TeleSoft Partners and The Hillman Company, AmberWave has received more than $45 million in funding. More information on the company and its technology can be found at www.amberwave.com.

About AIXTRON:
AIXTRON AG (FSE: AIX, WKN 506620, ISIN DE0005066203) is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World and the MSCI World Index. As the world-leading supplier of semiconductor epitaxy equipment with an installed base of well over 650 systems worldwide, according to VLSI Research Inc. AIXTRON is the forth largest semiconductor equipment manufacturer in Europe. AIXTRON is represented with an extensive service and support network in over 15 countries, which has been rated once more among the 2001 10 BEST in its category in VLSI Research Inc's Customer Satisfaction Survey. Its equipments are used by a diverse range of customers worldwide to manufacture the critical, advanced components such as HBTs, PHEMTs, MESFETs, Lasers, LEDs, Detectors and VCSELs used in fibre optic communications systems, wireless and mobile telephony applications, optical storage devices, illumination, signalling and lighting, and a range of other leading edge technologies. AIXTRON's many customers include Agere, Alcatel, Anritsu, ATMI, Avalon, AXT, Epson, Honeywell, Infineon, IQE, IQE Silicon Compounds, ITT, JDS-Uniphase, Kopin, LumiLeds, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Nortel, Optospeed, Osram, Procomp, Samsung, Showa Denko, Siemens, ST Microelectronics, Sumitomo, Thales, UEC, VPEC as well as numerous Japanese corporations. AIXTRON systems have also been installed in the most renowned research institutes worldwide, including CNRS, Fraunhofer Institute, ITRI-OES, JPL, Meijo University, Research Center Jülich, RIKEN, Sandia Nat Lab and the University of Tokyo. AIXTRON is very active in advancing MOCVD technology through collaborations and joint R&D projects with major partners worldwide. www.aixtron.com.

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© AIXTRON AG, May 16, 2002

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