Aixtron AG: Blue Photonics, Inc. Selects Thomas Swan CCS Technology

Business Wire, Oct 6, 2005

AACHEN, Germany & WALNUT, Calif. -- AIXTRON AG (FSE: AIX, ISIN DE0005066203; NASDAQ: AIXG), a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, has completed the installation and commissioning of a Thomas Swan 19x2" Close Coupled Showerhead (CCS) GaN production reactor at Blue Photonics, Inc. (BPI) in Walnut, California.

The new system will be used to produce high quality GaN based epitaxial materials for a variety of electronic and opto-electronic products including high-power transistors, blue laser diodes, high efficiency blue, green and white light emitting diodes, and solar-blind photo-detectors, etc. The addition of the new 19x2" MOCVD production tool will complement BPI's other research tools, such as an existing 6x2" CCS research MOCVD system.

According to Dr. J.C. Chen, President and co-founder of Blue Photonics Inc., major applications for these advanced nitride materials are next generation DVD players, future communication devices, and solid state lighting. Blue Photonics, Inc. chose Thomas Swan's CCS technology because of its good experience with the existing 6x2" CCS system and the inherent advantages over other vertical MOCVD reactor concepts. In particular, the exceptional level of material uniformity (thickness, doping, and composition) and remarkable yields of the deposited device structures were the primary driving forces which prompted the BPI Team to select the 19x2" nitride platform which has the lowest overall cost per wafer in the industry. The excellent technical support and supportive nature of the relationship with the Thomas Swan Team also contributed to the final decision.

Located in the Walnut Technology Park, BPI is a start-up company specialized in GaN based materials. With over 80 years of collective experience in compound semiconductors, the BPI team will focus its efforts on the development of state-of-the-art GaN materials and devices.

About AIXTRON

AIXTRON AG (FSE: AIX, ISIN DE0005066203; NASDAQ: AIXG, ISIN: US0096061041) is a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry. The Company's technology solutions are used by a diverse range of customers worldwide to build advanced components for electronic and opto-electronic applications based on compound, silicon, or organic semiconductor materials. Such components are used in fiber optic communication systems, wireless and mobile telephony applications, optical and electronic storage devices, computing, signalling and lighting, as well as a range of other leading-edge technologies. AIXTRON AG's securities are listed on the Prime Standard market segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and, as American Depositary Shares (ADS), on NASDAQ, and are included in the TecDAX index, the NASDAQ Composite Index and the MSCI World Small Cap Index. Founded in 1983, the Company is headquartered in Aachen, Germany. Additional information is available on AIXTRON's website at http://www.aixtron.com .

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