EU project TRANSFORM: AIXTRON drives the green Economy

Establishment of a sustainable silicon carbide supply chain in Europe as part of the EU project TRANSFORM / Collaboration of 34 leading specialists in SiC technology / Energy savings of up to 30% expected

Herzogenrath/Germany, December 8, 2021 - AIXTRON SE (FSE: AIXA, ISIN DE000A0WMPJ6) is partner in the EU project "TRANSFORM - Trusted European SiC Value Chain for a greener Economy". Funded by the EU and national funding authorities, the research and development project is aiming to create a competitive European supply chain for power electronics based on silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor technology within the next three years. To this end, the 34 most important European experts in the field of silicon carbide technology from seven EU countries are working together.

The supply chain should reliably provide Europe with silicon carbide components and -systems. The European value chain ranges from substrates to energy converters such as transistors or modules and, last but not least, the necessary industrial semiconductor production technology such as production-proven CVD systems (Chemical Vapor Deposition) with high yields.

Next-generation SiC technology

As one of the world's leading suppliers of CVD production technology for the deposition of SiC layers for power electronics, AIXTRON is taking on tasks such as the further improvement of CVD deposition technology for silicon carbide. This comprises the development of a technology for the simultaneous CVD coating of multiple 200 mm SiC substrates in a batch reactor as well as a CVD technology for smart cut SiC-substrates. The Smart Cut process enables the transfer of very fine and thin layers of crystalline silicon carbide material onto a carrier (substrate).

A high-performance industrial CVD deposition technology for silicon carbide is at the pivotal point of the next-generation silicon carbide technology to be jointly developed by the project partners. The number of potential applications and the demand for SiC technology are very large and range from industrial drives and energy conversion to renewable energies and electromobility.

Expected energy savings of up to 30 percent through silicon carbide technology

Silicon carbide-based power electronics enable very high energy savings, as they use electrical energy much more efficiently than the currently still predominantly used silicon-based semiconductors. Depending on the application, energy savings of up to 30 percent are expected through the use of silicon carbide technology.

"With such a powerful and at the same time energy-saving silicon carbide supply chain, we can finally holistically optimize power electronics systems and thus achieve the energy efficiency we urgently need. TRANSFORM can make this important contribution not only to European competitiveness, but also to a more sustainable and greener economy in Europe by significantly increasing energy efficiency with SiC technology," says Prof. Dr. Michael Heuken, Vice President Advanced Technologies at AIXTRON.

The TRANSFORM project is funded by the European Commission (registration number 16MEE0131).

Contact Persons

Guido Pickert
Vice President Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
fon +49 (2407) 9030-444
e-mail [email protected]

Rita Syre
Senior PR Manager
fon +49 (2407) 9030-3665
mobile +49 (162) 269 3791
e-mail [email protected]

About AIXTRON

AIXTRON SE is a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry. The Company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Herzogenrath (near Aachen), Germany, with subsidiaries and sales offices in Asia, United States and in Europe. AIXTRON's technology solutions are used by a diverse range of customers worldwide to build advanced components for electronic and optoelectronic applications based on compound or organic semiconductor materials. Such components are used in a broad range of innovative applications, technologies and industries. These include Laser and LED applications, display technologies, data transmission, SiC and GaN power management and conversion, communication, signaling and lighting as well as a range of other leading-edge applications.

Our registered trademarks: AIXACT(R), AIXTRON(R), APEVA(R), Close Coupled Showerhead(R), EXP(R), EPISON(R), Gas Foil Rotation(R), Optacap^TM, OVPD(R), Planetary Reactor(R), PVPD(R), STExS(R), TriJet(R)

For further information on AIXTRON (FSE: AIXA, ISIN DE000A0WMPJ6) please visit our website at: www.aixtron.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements regarding the business, results of operations, financial condition and earnings outlook of AIXTRON. These statements may be identified by words such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "contemplate", "intend", "plan", "believe", "continue" and "estimate" and variations of such words or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on our current assessments, expectations and assumptions, of which many are beyond control of AIXTRON, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Should these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying expectations not occur or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements of AIXTRON may materially vary from those described explicitly or implicitly in the relevant forward-looking statement. This could result from a variety of factors, such as actual customer orders received by AIXTRON, the level of demand for deposition technology in the market, the timing of final acceptance of products by customers, the condition of financial markets and access to financing for AIXTRON, general conditions in the market for deposition plants and macroeconomic conditions, cancellations, rescheduling or delays in product shipments, production capacity constraints, extended sales and qualification cycles, difficulties in the production process, the general development in the semi-conductor industry, increased competition, fluctuations in exchange rates, availability of public funding, fluctuations and/or changes in interest rates, delays in developing and marketing new products, a deterioration of the general economic situation and any other factors discussed in any reports or other announcements , in particular in the chapter Risks in the Annual Report, filed by AIXTRON. Any forward-looking statements contained in this document are based on current expectations and projections of the executive board based on information available the date hereof. AIXTRON undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless expressly required to do so by law.

This document is an English language translation of a document in German language. In case of discrepancies, the German language document shall prevail and shall be the valid version.