AIXTRON'S PROPRIETARY, ENABLING ATOMIC VAPOR DEPOSITION (AVD®) TECHNOLOGY WILL BE USED FOR THE INTEGRATION OF HIGH-K MATERIALS INTO SUB-65 NM CMOS DEVICES

!!! Press Release !!!

AIXTRON's proprietary, enabling Atomic Vapor Deposition (AVD)
technology will be used for the integration of high-k materials into sub-65 nm CMOS devices
(MEDEA+207: 65nm CMOS devices)

Aachen, 19 April, 2004, – AIXTRON is pleased to announce that, within the framework of the MEDEA+ T207 program, AIXTRON’s Tricent AVD technology will be used to enable the integration of high-k materials into the standard CMOS devices for sub-65nm technology nodes.

The MEDEA+ T207 project is a logical continuation of the initial MEDEA+ T201 project started in 2001. The experienced project team of AIXTRON, Air Liquide, LMGP (INPG), Epichem, LETI, Jobin-Yvon (Horiba) and STMicroelectronics has been strengthened by additional partners such as Philips and Motorola. The integration of high-k oxide materials in place of standard silicon dioxide has become necessary driven by shrinking device dimensions, where silicon dioxide can no longer fulfill the electrical isolation requirements.

AIXTRON’s AVD technology features the pulsed injection of liquid precursors using the AIXTRON Trijet evaporation unit combined with a unique showerhead concept, resulting in excellent uniformity as well as a very precise deposition of various high-k materials on an atomic scale. The major part of the CVD process development will be jointly carried out at STMicroelectronics (Crolles), where an AIXTRON 2-chamber Tricent cluster tool is installed. Complementary work will be executed at AIXTRON’s demonstration laboratory in Aachen, Germany.

"This European program, aimed at new emerging semiconductor CMOS applications, represents an integral part of AIXTRON’s overall development efforts in the field of enabling deposition solutions. By forging this well established partnership with top research organizations and top tier industrial end users, AIXTRON will remain at the forefront of cutting edge enabling MOCVD process technology development,” says Tim McEntee, Executive Vice President and COO Semiconductor Equipment at AIXTRON AG.

AIXTRON is, as verified by an independent market research institute, 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 Tec-DAX of the German Stock Exchange (Deutsche Börse) and is included in the MSCI World Index.

For further information please contact:

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