Axcelis' Single Wafer Optima Technology Earns Win in Japan; SEN Joint Venture Secures Order for High Dose Implanter from Key Logic Manufacturer.

BEVERLY, Mass. -- Marking another milestone in the worldwide rollout of its single wafer Optima implant technology, Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACLS) today announced that its joint venture, Sumitomo Eaton Nova (SEN), has secured an order for multiple single wafer, high dose SHX implanters from a key logic device manufacturer in Japan. Based on Axcelis' innovative, patented Optima technology, SEN's SHX systems address the customer's full range of low energy, high dose implant application needs in sub-65nm device manufacturing.

The order, which will begin shipping this month, marks the fourth customer win for Axcelis' single wafer Optima technology worldwide, and the first in Japan. "The early and rapid acceptance we are seeing for Optima technology in Japan and around the globe points to the strength of the entire platform, which we developed specifically to address emerging implant challenges for the most advanced technologies," said Mary Puma, chairman and CEO of Axcelis. "This latest order also reinforces our strength in Japan, where SEN has been the ion implant market leader for the past 12 years."

Designed as a simple, cost-effective implant family, the Optima series of tools provides complete, extendible implant applications coverage in and beyond the 65nm technology node, with significant applications overlap to give users maximum flexibility and capital efficiency. The low energy, high dose tool provides exceptional productivity for source/drain, source/drain extension and poly-doping transistor-forming applications.

SEN is the leading supplier of ion implant equipment in Japan with 62 percent market share. Axcelis and SEN together hold the number one position in ion implantation with 38.4 percent market share worldwide, according to 2004 data from market researcher Gartner Dataquest.

About Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

Axcelis Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts, provides innovative, high-productivity solutions for the semiconductor industry. Axcelis is dedicated to developing enabling process applications through the design, manufacture and complete life cycle support of ion implantation, rapid thermal processing, and cleaning and curing systems. Axcelis Technologies has key product development centers in Beverly, Massachusetts, as well as in Toyo, Japan through its joint venture, SEN. The company's Internet address is: www.axcelis.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements, known as "forward-looking statements," which express the current expectations of Axcelis management. Product manufacturing and delivery issues, customer order push-outs or cancellations and product performance could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated as expressed in this press release. These risks and other risk factors relating to Axcelis are described more fully in the most recent Form 10-K filed by Axcelis and in other filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.