Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Apr. 01, 2017	Jun. 09, 2017	Oct. 01, 2016
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Apr. 01, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Entity Registrant Name	ELECTRO SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000726514
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--03-28
Entity Well-know Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		33,103,704
Entity Public Float			$ 185,926,091