Press Release 

Philips, RWTH Aachen and AIXTRON establish co-operation on OLED lighting applications

RWTH Aachen purchases OVPD System for large-area OLEDs

Aachen, Germany, October 13, 2004 - Philips, RWTH Aachen and AIXTRON AG (FSE: AIX; ISIN DE0005066203), a leading provider of equipment for the deposition of compound semiconductors, today announced the signing of a collaboration agreement aiming at the joint development of novel large-area white Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED).

The project is not only targeting the development of OLEDs for lighting applications, but will also focus on establishing new manufacturing processes using AIXTRON's innovative Organic Vapor Phase Deposition (OVPD^®) technology. For this purpose, RWTH Aachen, a leading institution in the area of semiconductor technology, has ordered an OVPD^® system, which will be installed at the manufacturing plant of Philips Lighting in Aachen - Rothe Erde, Germany, and be jointly operated by the project participants.

The co-operation project is largely funded by the European Interreg III program, the state of North Rhine-Westfalia (NRW) and the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

OLEDs are expected to enable fundamentally new solutions in applications for lighting. Visions for future applications range from cars with lucent body parts to large diffuse light sources mimicking natural daylight e. g. on room walls. Compared to conventional lighting (e. g. incandescent lamps), OLEDs have the potential for superior properties such as:

• higher power efficiency
• longer lifetime
• large emissive area
• potentially adjustable light color

Dr. Hans Nikol from Philips Research added: "OLED technology enables higher efficiencies and new applications; the joint partnership between two world market leaders - Philips and AIXTRON - and RWTH Aachen creates synergies to perform research and development focused on the industrial and consumer market needs."

Tim McEntee, Executive Vice President and COO at AIXTRON commented: "We are very pleased to be able to foster the development of our OVPD^® technology in such a strong partnership. Once more, renowned partners like RWTH Aachen and Philips contribute to continually improve our equipment for new high-potential technologies such as white organic LEDs."

OVPD^® technology has been exclusively licensed to AIXTRON from Universal Display Corporation (UDC), Ewing, N.J. USA for equipment manufacture. OVPD^® technology is based on an invention by Professor Stephen R. Forrest et. al. at Princeton University, USA, which was exclusively licensed to UDC. AIXTRON and UDC have jointly developed and qualified OVPD^® pre-production equipment.

About AIXTRON

AIXTRON AG (FSE: AIX; ISIN DE0005066203) is a leading provider of equipment for compound semiconductor epitaxy. The Company's products are used by a diverse range of customers worldwide to manufacture advanced semiconductor components such as HBTs, PHEMTs, MESFETs, Lasers, LEDs, Detectors, and VCSELs used in fiber optic communication 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's securities are listed in the Prime Standard market segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and are included both in the TecDAX index and the MSCI World Index. More information about AIXTRON can be found on the Web at www.aixtron.com.

Forward Looking Information
This news release may contain forward-looking statements about the business, financial condition, results of operations and earnings outlook of AIXTRON within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "contemplate," "intend," "plans," "believe," "continue" and "estimate," and variations of these words and similar expressions, identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed herein. In any forward-looking statement in which AIXTRON expresses an expectation or belief as to future results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the statement or expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. Actual operating results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements and are subject to certain risks, including risks arising from: actual customer orders received by AIXTRON; the extent to which metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, or MOCVD, technology is demanded by the market place; the timing of final acceptance of products by customers; the financial climate and accessibility of financing; general conditions in the thin film equipment market and in the macro-economy; cancellations, rescheduling or delays in product shipments; manufacturing capacity constraints; lengthy sales and qualification cycles; difficulties in the production process; changes in semiconductor industry growth; increased competition; exchange rate fluctuations; availability of government funding; variability and availability of interest rates; delays in developing and commercializing new products; general economic conditions being less favorable than expected; and other factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and AIXTRON does not assume any obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Any reference to the Internet website of AIXTRON is not an incorporation by reference of such information in this news release, and you should not interpret such a reference as an incorporation by reference of such information.

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© AIXTRON AG, October 13^th, 2004

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