Aachen, Germany, February 23, 2012 - AIXTRON SE today announced that the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Pisa, Italy, has ordered two AIXTRON BM Pro systems in a 4-inch wafer configuration. IIT Pisa researchers will use these systems for the development and production of graphene for the implementation of novel hydrogen storage systems.

IIT Pisa will utilize one system to deposit graphene using both chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The second BM Pro system is configured for high temperature (1800°C) processing with graphene to be formed using sublimation. The local AIXTRON support team has installed and commissioned both systems at the Power Nanosystems Laboratory at IIT Pisa's Center for Nanotechnology Innovation, located at Laboratorio NEST of Scuola Normale Superiore (IIT@NEST).

Dr Camilla Coletti from IIT@NEST comments: "AIXTRON deposition systems have a world-class reputation for depositing highly uniform, reproducible thin films. Our new BM Pro systems form the foundation of our research into the synthesis of graphene films for applications like nanoelectronics and energy storage. These systems will give us enormous flexibility in terms of deposition processes, covering CVD, PECVD and high temperature sublimation. This is highly important as it will enable us to use the best method of producing graphene films with the necessary characteristics for each particular application. Graphene film quality, uniformity, equipment ease of use, and recipe reproducibility were key factors during our evaluation process and it was evident that AIXTRON's BM Pro system is the best equipment available that meets all these requirements."

Established in 2009, IIT@NEST is an interdisciplinary research and development centre investigating fundamental phenomena on a nanoscale and exploiting nanomaterials through innovative devices. It is organized into three divisions, namely Power Nanosystems, Nanomedicine and Nanoscale Processes & Tools. The facilities at IIT@NEST include a clean room, state-of-the-art characterization, as well as deposition equipment to enable fundamental and applied research in nanoprocessing, advanced diagnostics and molecular medicine.

* BM Pro = new product name for AIXRON Black Magic system