FREMONT, CA--(Marketwire - Mar 7, 2013) - AXT, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ AXTI ]), a leading manufacturer of compound semiconductor substrates, today announced that it has been certified as having met the international standards of ISO 16949:2009, a worldwide standard developed by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), a group of the world's leading manufacturers and trade organizations. This certification defines the quality management system requirements for the design, development, production, and when relevant, installation and service of automotive-related products.

ISO/TS 16949 is currently the world's most stringent quality management system standard for manufacturing and provides for strict adherence to the demanding requirements of the world-wide automotive industry. The ISO/TS 16949 standard is a technical specification defining quality system requirements for manufacturing operations. The standard encourages the use of a process approach that is aimed at improving process efficiency and is designed to achieve the highest levels of product quality, productivity, competitiveness, and continual improvement.

"We are pleased to announce this certification as a demonstration of AXT's commitment to serving our automotive customers with the highest level of excellence," said Morris Young, Ph.D., chief executive officer. "I am very proud of the work, led by our operations team in Beijing, that resulted in a successful certification to an internationally recognized quality standard as it underscores our ongoing mission to provide superior product quality and customer satisfaction."

About AXT, Inc.
AXT designs, develops, manufactures and distributes high-performance compound and single element semiconductor substrates comprising gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP) and germanium (Ge) through its manufacturing facilities in Beijing, China. In addition, AXT maintains its sales, administration and customer service functions at its headquarters in Fremont, California. The company's substrate products are used primarily in lighting display applications, wireless communications, fiber optic communications and solar cell. Its vertical gradient freeze (VGF) technique for manufacturing semiconductor substrates provides significant benefits over other methods and enabled AXT to become a leading manufacturer of such substrates. AXT has manufacturing facilities in China and invests in joint ventures in China producing raw materials. For more information, see AXT's website at [ http://www.axt.com ].