!!! Press Release !!!

In contrast with other semiconductor industry sectors, the LED market in Taiwan is booming, and AIXTRON, the world’s leading manufacturer of MOCVD equipment for the production of LEDs from red to blue and other compound semiconductors, is profiting directly from this growth.

Just in Taiwan over the ten month period to October of this year, the company won over fifteen new contracts, primarily for the delivery of large scale GaN and AlGaInP production systems for the manufacture of UHB-LEDs. The new orders come from United Epitaxy Corporation (UEC), Epistar Corporation, Visual Photonics Epitaxy Co. Ltd. (VPEC), Opto-Electronics & Systems Laboratories (OES), the National Central University (NCU), and other LED manufacturers. They include several repeat and multiple orders.

UEC is a long-standing customer of AIXTRON and the leading producer of UHB-LEDs in Taiwan. Further AIX 2400 (15x2" or AIX 2600G3 (35x2") multiwafer MOCVD systems for large-scale LED production were recently installed at UEC, increasing the total number of AIXTRON systems in operation up to a two digit number. The AIX 2600G3 is targeted to provide lowest Cost of Ownership processes on 35x2" wafer due to the high process efficiency and uniformity, which shall be brought to use at UEC in a joint development program.

Both Epistar and VPEC are fast growing high-tech companies both of which have recently placed multiple repeat orders for large-scale MOCVD systems for the production of UHB-LEDs. These are scheduled to be installed by early 1999.

A further order came from the National Central University in Taiwan. The NCU is actively involved in research into GaN for the production of LEDs and lasers. For this purpose, the university placed an order for an AIX 200/4 RF and has signed a cooperation agreement with AIXTRON. Under the agreement, the NCU will operate as a Demonstration Laboratory for AIXTRON, enabling AIXTRON customers to see for themselves the quality of the GaN wafers grown on AIXTRON equipment.

The most recent order comes from OES/ITRI, a highly respected institute in Taiwan which works closely with industry. OES has just placed a repeat order for a multiwafer MOCVD system for the growth of GaN structures. Having successfully developed a research program on AlGaInP light emitting devices, also using an AIXTRON MOCVD reactor, and having transferred the AlGaInP technology to industry, the institute then established a research program focusing on III-Nitride opto-electronic devices. This latest system ordered will be the second AIXTRON multiwafer system in operation for GaN on this research project. Dr. Eric Lean, General Director of OES and Vice President of ITRI, said: "The close cooperation between OES/ITRI and AIXTRON has overcome many technical problems and helped us to successfully launch our blue LED program with a steady progress".

This constant flow of orders from Taiwan demonstrates the confidence of the MOCVD market in AIXTRON technology and equipment. It further demonstrates that the MOCVD market remains unaffected by the financial crisis and resulting general downturn in economic activities in Asia. AIXTRON’s revenues from the region are already around 50% above target for the year and further new orders are expected before the end of the year. During the first half of 1998, AIXTRON’s sales of MOCVD systems in Taiwan gave the company a 70% market share there.

The Planetary Reactor^® concept has many well-known advantages. These include its low Cost of Ownership due to high process efficiency, large capacity, reliability and throughput. In addition, the AIXTRON design is based on a two-flow reactor with horizontal laminar flow. This guarantees excellent wafer uniformity with very high efficiency in the use of process gases. It also ensures ultimate performance with respect to interface abruptness and offers the fast heating/cooling capability required to make Nitride based LEDs. The AIXTRON design also provides an additional in-situ cleaning option. Using wafer rotation provided by the patented Gas Foil Rotation^®, the Planetary Reactor series has been developed for ultra-high uniform growth of III-V and II-VI compound semiconductors and other materials in R&D and production. The reactor is available for operation up to 1200° C, with an optional extension up to 1600° C for the growth of SiC for the manufacturing of Nitride-based lasers on SiC buffer layers.

AIXTRON offers a wide range of epitaxial systems for MOVPE, VPE and LPE from R & D oriented systems up to large-scale Planetary Reactor^® production systems for up to 95 x 2 inch wafers. The company has installed over 280 systems worldwide, provides an extensive service and support network for maintenance and upgrading and is represented in over 15 countries. Among AIXTRON's list of industrial clients are names such as Alcatel, AT&T, EPI, Epitronics, Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell, Hughes, IBM, Kopin, Lucent, Motorola, NEC, Nortel, Philips, Rockwell, Samsung, Siemens, Thomson, Uniphase, and numerous Japanese corporations. AIXTRON systems have also been installed in many of the world's most renowned research institutes including JPL-CALTEC, Sandia Nat. Lab., Fraunhofer Institutes, CNRS, and many universities. AIXTRON is very active in advancing MOCVD technology through collaborations and joint R & D projects with major partners worldwide.

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© AIXTRON AG January 1999

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