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    <issuer>
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        <issuerName>AXCELIS TECHNOLOGIES INC</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>ACLS</issuerTradingSymbol>
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            <rptOwnerName>Bintz William J</rptOwnerName>
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            <officerTitle>EVP, Product Development</officerTitle>
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            <exerciseDate>
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    </derivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">Of the shares held as of May 9 and May 10, 2017, 20,455 were issuable on vesting of restricted stock units granted under the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan and are subject to forefeiture.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted-average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $21.00 to $21.65, inclusive. The reporting person undertakes to provide to Axcelis Technologies, Inc., any security holder of Axcelis Technologies, Inc., or the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, full information regarding the number of shares purchased at each separate price.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F3">50,000 options were granted on July 15, 2014 and were vested as to 50% of the options as of May 9, 2017.  Of the remaining 47,669 options held by the executive after the sales on that date,22,669 were vested, and 12,500 will vest on each of July 15, 2017 and July 15, 2018, if the officer remains in the service of the Company on such vesting dates.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F4">50,000 options were granted on July 15, 2014 and were vested as to 50% of the options as of May 10, 2017.  Of the remaining 25,000 options held by the executive after the sales on that date, 12,500 will vest on each of July 15, 2017 and July 15, 2018, if the officer remains in the service of the Company on such vesting dates.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <remarks></remarks>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>Lynnette C. Fallon, as attorney in fact for William Bintz</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2017-05-11</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
