AIXTRON APPOINTS JOHN J. CERILLI AS HEAD OF SALES AND MARKETING FOR ITS SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT UNIT

!!! Press Release !!!

AIXTRON appoints John J. Cerilli as Head of Sales and
Marketing for its Semiconductor Equipment Unit

Aachen, 26 April, 2004 - AIXTRON is pleased to report the appointment of Mr. John Cerilli as new Head of Sales and Marketing for its Semiconductor equipment business unit. He is responsible for all sales and marketing activities of AIXTRON's silicon business.

John J. Cerilli has over 27 years of experience in the semiconductor industry in which he has established an extensive network of contacts. Starting his career in 1976, he held operational management positions for National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, GTE and Siemens. Since 1989, he has worked in sales and marketing management positions at ASM America, Cahners-In-Stat, SpeedFam-IPEC, Inc. and Semico Research Corporation.

Tim McEntee, Executive Vice President, COO of AIXTRON's Semiconductor Equipment unit states: "I appreciate John Cerilli's decision to join AIXTRON at this point in his career. I am convinced that John, with his solid background in the semiconductor industry and his international business experience, will further push the acceptance of AIXTRON's state-of-the-art semiconductor equipment in the market. With the appointment of John we would like to stress again the importance of the expansion of AIXTRON's semiconductor business and focus on customers' needs for innovative products in the silicon industry."

John Cerilli adds: "I am very impressed by AIXTRON's extensive history with high quality CVD systems, and its dedicated and experienced team. I commit myself to support the Semiconductor Equipment group with my thorough knowledge of the semiconductor business and with my extensive network of contacts within the industry. My task is to strengthen the awareness of the flexibility and distinct advantages of AIXTRON’s semiconductor equipment for the customer, and thus, open new business opportunities in the near future."

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