!!! Press Release !!!

LED EXPERT CORPORATION (LEDEX) CONTRACTS AIXTRON MASS PRODUCTION MOCVD REACTOR

Ramping up production of GaN-based UHB LEDs

Aachen/Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 9th September, 2002 - AIXTRON AG, the proven worldwide leading supplier of semiconductor equipment, today announced the sale of an AIX 2600G3 HT MOCVD Reactor to LED EXPERT Corp. (LEDEX), Taiwan. LEDEX has selected the AIX 2600G3 HT reactor, providing worldwide largest GaN LED capacity with 24x2" wafers, for the cost-efficient mass production of GaN-based material, to ramp up their capacity for GaN-based high brightness, blue and green LED chips production.

Dr. Alan Li, Vice President of LEDEX states: "We selected AIXTRON's AIX 2600G3 HT reactor since this reactor can offer us very high throughput at high yield and at low operational costs. The extremely high efficiency and low material consumption of this reactor combined with the excellent uniformity of device properties are crucial for us as one of the leading suppliers of high-end performance LED chips. We are now in a strong position to expand our activities in the successful mass production of blue and green LED chips." Dr. Bernd Schulte, Executive Vice President and COO of AIXTRON adds: "LEDEX has acknowledged AIXTRON's long-standing renowned CVD engineering expertise and all-round service support. This new generation mass production tool, which is additionally equipped with the EpiTune® II in-situ monitoring equipment feature for improved SPC, will now enable LEDEX to provide the full spectra of LED chips from UV and blue to green at highly competitive production costs."

The AIX 2400/2600G3 HT has a capacity of up to 24x2" or 7x3" 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 turbulence 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. Up-to-date, AIXTRON has sold more than 10 high capacity GaN reactors to Taiwan, adding to an installed base of about 40 6x2" systems on the island.

With an installed base of well over 650 systems world-wide, AIXTRON is, as verified by VLSI Research Inc., the world leading supplier of equipment for semiconductor epitaxy and has been rated once more amongst the 2002 10 BEST in its category in the most recent VLSI 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, signaling and lighting, as well as a range of other leading edge technologies. The company has an extensive service and support network in over 15 countries. 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, NDL Taiwan, Research Center Jülich, RIKEN, Sandia Nat Lab, Tsinghua University and the University of Tokyo. AIXTRON is very active in advancing MOCVD technology through collaborations and joint R&D projects with major partners worldwide. AIXTRON AG (FSE: AIX ISIN DE0005066203) is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World and the MSCI World Index.

For further information please contact:

© AIXTRON AG, September 09, 2002

Homepage | Contact | About Aixtron | Products & Services | Customer Support | R & D | Production Results | What's new | Events

© 1996 - 2003 by AIXTRON AG