UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  February 2, 2011

Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:   (978) 787-4000

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o            Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o            Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o            Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o            Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02    Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

Election of Director.  On February 2, 2011, the Board of Directors elected Edward H. Braun, as a director of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”) for a term ending at the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Company’s press release regarding Mr. Braun’s election is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

Mr. Braun will participate in the Company’s non-employee director compensation arrangements, a description of which appears under the heading “Director Compensation” in the proxy statement for the Company’s 2010 annual meeting of stockholders and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01   Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

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Exhibit 99.1

AXCELIS NAMES EDWARD BRAUN TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BEVERLY, Mass., February 2, 2011 — Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACLS) today announced that Edward Braun has joined the Company’s board of directors.

“We’re very pleased that Edward Braun will be joining our board of directors,” said Mary Puma, chairman and CEO of Axcelis.  “With over forty years of expertise in business management, he brings a unique combination of strong leadership skills and a broad range of successful experiences in the semiconductor and electronics industry to Axcelis.  He will be a strong asset to our team, as we move forward with the next phase of our growth strategy.”

Braun has been Chairman of Veeco Instruments, Inc. since 1990, and was also Chief Executive Officer of the company until 2007.  Prior to this, Braun held numerous executive positions, beginning in 1966, at Veeco and a predecessor company. Braun is a Director Emeritus of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), a trade association.  In addition to Axcelis Technologies, Braun is on the board of directors of Cymer, Inc., a supplier of excimer laser light sources used in deep ultra-violet photolithography systems.

Axcelis Technologies, Inc., (Nasdaq: ACLS) 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 and cleaning systems. The company’s Internet address is: www.axcelis.com.

CONTACTS:

Maureen Hart (editorial/media) 978.787.4266
maureen.hart@axcelis.com

Jay Zager (financial community) 978.787.9408

jay.zager@axcelis.com

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