FORMOSA EPITAXY INC (FOREPI) CONTRACTS MORE AIXTRON MOCVD PLANETARY REACTORS® FOR MASS PRODUCTION OF GREEN UHB LEDS

!!! Press Release !!!

FORMOSA EPITAXY INC (FOREPI) CONTRACTS MORE AIXTRON MOCVD PLANETARY REACTORS® FOR MASS PRODUCTION OF GREEN UHB LEDS

Aachen/Lung-Tan, Taoyuan, Taiwan, June 18, 2002 - AIXTRON, the worldwide leading provider of epitaxial equipment, is pleased to announce that FORMOSA EPITAXY Inc, (FOREPI), based in Taoyuan, Taiwan and manufacturer of ultra-high brightness LED wafers, will increase its installed base of AIXTRON systems with two new high throughput AIX 2400/2600G3 HT MOCVD Planetary Reactors®. This high-temperature AIXTRON tool, with its increased reactor capacity of 11x2" and up to 24x2" wafers, will boost the manufacturing capacities of FOREPI's product line of high performance (In)GaN based epitaxial wafers, chips and ultra-high-brightness LED chip related products. Based on AIXTRON's leading edge MOCVD technology, FOREPI has successfully developed and marketed LED wafers from UV (385nm) to the green (560nm) emission wavelength.

Dr. Fen Ren Chien, President for FOREPI explains "Based on our success with AIXTRON's 6x2" Nitride Planetary Reactors, we have decided for AIXTRON's large capacity production platform to ensure we maintain our leading edge in production of Nitride based LED wafers with highest brightness. AIXTRON's outstanding epitaxy technology enables us to produce Nitride-based materials with best uniformity at highest efficiencies and therefore very competitive operational costs. "Dr. Bernd Schulte, Executive Vice-President of AIXTRON adds "Ultra-bright LEDs have reached a critical mass-market stage with booming applications in backlighting of cellular phones, traffic-lights, signals, automobiles and oversized video screens, to mention just a few market applications. We are proud that our technology is the most utilized platform for LED development and production in Taiwan."

The AIX 2400/2600G3 HT has a capacity of up to 24x2" or 5x3" wafers. The two-flow horizontal Planetary Reactor® is recognized as the most widely used multiwafer MOCVD reactor for compound semiconductor applications. A unique reactor concept allows for laminar gas flow without turbulences for precise control of the material composition and achievement of ultra-sharp interfaces. Ultra-high uniformity along with high growth efficiency on multiple 2", 3" and 4" wafers is achieved through wafer rotation with the patented Gas Foil Rotation®. The AIX 2400/2600G3 HT represents AIXTRON's success in supplying to its green-blue-white LED manufacturing customers a cost-breaking high-capacity G3-MOCVD Technology.

AIXTRON AG (FSE: AIX 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 and has been rated once more among the 2001 10 BEST in its category in VLSI Research Inc's Customer Satisfaction Survey. Its equipment is used by a diverse range of customers worldwide to manufacture 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.

For further information please contact:

Dr. Claus Ehrenbeck
Head of Investor Relations and
Corporate Communications
AIXTRON AG
Kackertstr. 15 - 17
D-52072 Aachen, Germany
Phone:+49 241 8909 444
Fax: +49 241 8909 445
E-mail: invest@aixtron.com