!!! Press Release !!!

Aachen/Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region (SAR) China, May 12th 2003 – AIXTRON AG is proud to announce the receipt of a purchase order for an AIX 200/4 system for developing and producing epitaxial AlGaInSb/P/As and dilute nitride layer structures. Applications are next generation optical and electronic communication devices, such as HBTs (Hetero Bipolar Transistors) and VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers). The MOCVD system, with its capacity of 3x2" or 1x4" wafers will be installed in the Photonics Technology Center of the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST), Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong. The AIX 200/4 system is a well established tool for both R&D and volume production purposes.

Worldwide demand for data transmission bandwidth continues to grow by 60% p.a., according to a report recently published by Goldman Sachs and McKinsey. Furthermore, since China is in the course of preparing the country’s infrastructure for the Olympic Games and supporting the economic boom, fast, high quality fiber optic and wireless datacom networks will be needed. The critical devices for these will be made from compound semiconductors.

Professor Kei May Lau, Director of the Photonics Technology Center comments: "Our purchase decision was driven by the well designed flexibility of the system and our long term partnership with AIXTRON, beginning from the time at my former institution, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. We are confident that this AIXTRON tool will accelerate our R&D efforts and support future technology transfer into industry".

Dr. Bastian Marheineke, Senior Department Manager, Sales Asia / Pacific says: "Also in the emerging Chinese MOCVD market, AIXTRON has established market leadership based on our superior technology. We are happy that Professor Lau, who is also running an AIXTRON Planetary Reactor for GaN growth, has confirmed her confidence in us and we look forward to an excellent continued partnership and fruitful collaboration."

AIXTRON’s customized MOCVD systems are the key technology enabling development and manufacture of compound semiconductors and many other multi-component materials. The many advantages of the AIXTRON Planetary Reactors include user-friendly operation, excellent process stability as well as very high precursor efficiencies and world best uniformities. Together with excellent reliability and high throughput, all these properties lead to a valuable device yield and high uptime.

AIXTRON is, as verified by VLSI Research Inc., the world leading supplier of equipment for semiconductor epitaxy. 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 fiber 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. AIXTRON AG (FSE: AIX ISIN DE0005066203) is listed in the Prime Standard and the Tec_DAX of the German stock exchange (Deutsche Börse AG) and is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World and the MSCI World Index.

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© AIXTRON AG, May 12, 2003

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