AIXTRON: QI REVENUES AND PROFITS IN LINE WITH PROJECTIONS

!!! Press Release !!!

AIXTRON: QI REVENUES AND PROFITS IN LINE WITH PROJECTIONS

Aachen, May 7, 2002 - AIXTRON - the global market and technology leader for MOCVD equipment, technology for the manufacture of compound semiconductors and other multicomponent materials - has closed Q1 2002 as planned: revenues amounted to EUR 47.2 million (2001: EUR 59.8 million), of which 36% was generated in the US, 49% in Asia and 15% in Europe. Earnings before tax totaled EUR 12.3 million (2001: EUR 15.5 million) and consolidated net income amounted to EUR 7.3 million (2001: EUR 8.7 million). The return on sales after tax was 15.5% (2001: 14.5%) and the return on equity 66.2% (2001: 53.8%). Earnings per share amounted to EUR 0.11 (2001: EUR 0.13).

New orders amounted to EUR 25.0 million (2001: EUR 52.3 million) which - in view of the restrained global economy - was in line with expectations. AIXTRON received orders from IQE (UK), Forepi (Taiwan), Semco (Korea) and Showa Denko (Japan) among others. The order backlog amounted to EUR 118.2 million (2001: 156.5 million Euro) at the end of Q1.

For 2002 as a whole, the AIXTRON Executive Board is forecasting sales revenues of EUR 210.0 million (2001: EUR 240.1 million), earnings before income taxes of EUR 46.0 million (2001: EUR 57.7 million) and net income for the year of EUR 29.0 million (2001: EUR 33.6 million). This equates to a return on sales after tax of 14% (2001: 14%).

Growth prospects for the coming years are promising: AIXTRON's technology is the first and enabling step in the value chain for a large number of modern electronics and photonics applications, for which market researchers are predicting growth rates of up to 50% p.a. in the coming years. These include: LEDs for signal and illumination technology and full-color giant screens, lasers for optical data storage and fiber optic technology, high-performance chips for mobile telecommunications, key materials for the next generations of DRAMs and smart cards, OLEDs for new kinds of light, energy-saving displays. The constantly rising performance demands in electronics and photonics can only be met by using increasingly complex materials - such as compound semiconductors or similar structures made up of different chemical elements - in increasingly thin layers. Experts have found that gas phase synthesis - as used in AIXTRON's CVD technology - is by far the most suitable technology for producing such materials.

Every day, more than 650 AIXTRON systems in practical use in over 15 countries demonstrate their technological lead. A recent investigation into the development of semiconductor production system manufacturers in Europe by the market research company VLSI Research Inc. (US), has revealed that AIXTRON is now the fourth-largest European semiconductor production system manufacturer.

The complete quarterly report is available as a PDF file at www.aixtron.com.

For further information please contact:

Dr. Claus Ehrenbeck
Head of 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