PLAINVIEW, N.Y., Dec 20, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) announced that Thomas Gutierrez has been appointed to its Board of Directors.

Mr. Gutierrez, age 62, currently serves as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of GT Solar International, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOLR), a global provider of polysilicon production technology, and sapphire and silicon crystalline growth systems and materials for the solar, LED and other specialty markets.

John R. Peeler, Veeco's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Tom brings a broad, global technology background to Veeco's Board that includes experience in multi-national organizations and clean technology. We are excited to have Tom join our Board and believe he will quickly become a valued advisor and partner in Veeco's future growth."

Prior to joining GT Solar in 2009, Mr. Gutierrez served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Xerium Technologies Inc., a multinational company that develops, manufactures and markets technically advanced synthetic textiles from 2001 to 2008. From 1995 to 2001, Mr. Gutierrez served as Chief Executive Officer of Invensys Power Systems, a $3 billion world leader in power control and energy storage systems and services for industrial applications. Mr. Gutierrez has extensive international experience in product development, manufacturing, marketing and sales. He received his BSc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology.

About Veeco

Veeco makes equipment to develop and manufacture LEDs, solar panels, hard disk drives and other devices. We support our customers through product development, manufacturing, sales and service sites in the U.S., Korea, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Japan, Europe and other locations. Please visit us at www.veeco.com.

To the extent that this news release discusses expectations or otherwise makes statements about the future, such statements are forward-looking and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include the risks discussed in the Business Description and Management's Discussion and Analysis sections of Veeco's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 and in our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and press releases.Veeco does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

SOURCE: Veeco Instruments Inc.

Veeco Instruments Inc.
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Debra Wasser, 516-677-0200 x1472
SVP Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
or
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Fran Brennen, 516-677-0200 x1222
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