AIXTRON REPEATS 10 BEST PLACEMENT IN THE 2002 VLSI CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

!!! Press Release !!!

AIXTRON REPEATS 10 BEST PLACEMENT IN THE 2002 VLSI CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

Aachen/San Jose, CA, USA - June 21st, 2002 - AIXTRON is proud to announce that the results of the 2002 VLSI Research Inc Customer Satisfaction Survey on Chip Making Equipment show that customers have for the fourth time rated AIXTRON amongst the 10 BEST in the Small Suppliers of Wafer Processing Equipment category.

In this double-blind survey statistics were drawn from a mailing of more than 55,000 questionnaires sent out worldwide in six languages. Mr. Steve Perry, Executive Vice President and COO of AIXTRON's Global Service Operations, comments: "AIXTRON is very happy to be rated once again amongst the 10 BEST Equipment suppliers by VLSI Research. This rating is a clear sign of the success of our service-focused strategy and will motivate us to further increase customer satisfaction by optimizing the technology and service support we provide to our customers. We would like to thank all our customers for having taken the time to participate in the 2002 VLSI Research Customer Satisfaction Survey.

The high satisfaction expressed by customers worldwide, reflects the consequent measures taken by AIXTRON over the past 12 months to constantly improve customer satisfaction. The establishment of AIXTRON's Global Service Operations (GSO) since mid 2001 has resulted in the establishment of a decentralized service organization which makes use of a professional global and regional team. GSO combines AIXTRON's Technology Transfer, Service, Parts Logistics and Corporate Training into one operational unit, that professionally services the entire AIXTRON group product range. The recent opening of AIXTRON Taiwan Co. Ltd.; AIXTRON K.K, Japan; and AIXTRON Korea cshs further underlines AIXTRON's strengthened local support to customers. Customers benefit from this decentralized service organization which ensures an 'on-site' service support network covering installation, customer and warranty services, technology transfer, spare parts and logistics, ensuring reduced response times and an easier and faster communication with the customer. Consignment stocks are located in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, USA, and Europe and AIXTRON has increased annual local spare part stocks to serve customers efficiently. The number of staff operating in service offices worldwide has been increased to guarantee a quality response to customers' demands.

AIXTRON has continued to take innovative steps that have contributed to this 10 BEST rating and to customer satisfaction overall. In order to push the performance of AIXTRON's MOCVD systems and to optimize the customer's production efficiency, the EpiTUNE® II in-situ monitoring individual wafer measurements tool has been launched. In addition, the new development of the 24x2" MOCVD system for GaN related products (blue, green LED) enables customers to further reduce their manufacturing costs. AIXTRON also co-operates with many customers on a strictly confidential basis to adapt Epitaxial Technology perfectly to the customers' requirements on device structures. This support has led to reduced time-to-market for the customers' products.

Dr. Bernd Schulte, Executive Vice President and COO of AIXTRON's Compound Semiconductor Equipment, commenting on AIXTRON's placement in the VLSI 2002 10 BEST says "AIXTRON's success lies in its ability to constantly re-evaluate the changing needs of customers by advancing new technical developments, guaranteeing fastest delivery times, driving quality improvements and providing a professional customer service, all of which are important factors contributing to a high level of customer satisfaction."

For more information on VLSI Research, please visit their web-site at www.vlsiresearch.com.

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 AIXTRON has an installed base of well over 650 systems worldwide, AIXTRON is represented with an extensive service and support network in over 15 countries. Its equipment is 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.

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