For more information, contact:

Jim Donaldson Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. 970.407.6374

Marna Shillman Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. 970.407.6280 marna.shillman@aei.com

MICRO Magazine Names AE's PrimAera^® Digital MFC as One of its Top 25 Product All-Stars for 2002

Fort Collins, Colo., December 17, 2002—Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: AEIS) today announced that its PrimAera^® digital mass flow controller (MFC) has been named one of MICRO magazine’s Top 25 Product All-Stars for 2002. This year’s award recipients—which include a range of product offerings in the semiconductor and advanced microelectronics manufacturing supply chain—were selected after careful evaluation by MICRO’s editorial staff, which included discussions they held throughout the year with end users of the nominated products.

 

Doug Schatz, chairman and CEO of Advanced Energy, said, “We are honored to receive this award from MICRO, which recognizes the highly differentiated mass flow control technology of the PrimAera. This recognition further validates the optimal performance and reliability that the PrimAera digital MFC is providing for our customers’ critical processes in facilities worldwide.”

The PrimAera digital MFC uses a small-diameter sensor that is very sensitive to changing gas conditions. The product’s electronics is a digital signal processor, which replaces conventional sensing and control circuits with a digital algorithm, eliminating the drift and inaccuracies associated with analog instruments. The product allows users to select a wide range of gases without having to recalibrate, which makes it possible to reduce MFC inventories.

About Advanced Energy
Advanced Energy is a global leader in the development, marketing and support of components and sub-systems critical to plasma-based manufacturing processes used in the production of semiconductors, flat panel displays, data storage products, compact discs, digital video discs, architectural glass, and other applications that require precise thin-film processes. AE offers a comprehensive line of technology solutions in power, flow and thermal management, plasma and ion beam sources, and integrated process monitoring and control to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end-users around the world. AE operates in regional centers in North America, Asia and Europe, and offers global sales and support through direct offices, representatives and distributors. Founded in 1981, AE is a publicly held company traded on Nasdaq National Market under the symbol AEIS. For more information, please visit our corporate website: www.advanced-energy.com