Exhibit 99.1

ESI Names J. Michael Dodson Vice President of Administration and Chief
Financial Officer

    PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 2003--Electro Scientific
Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq:ESIOE) announced today that J. Michael Dodson
has been named vice president of administration and chief financial
officer. Dodson replaces Richard Okumoto, who has resigned. Dodson
will oversee finance and accounting as well as other administrative
functions for the company.
    "Michael is a significant addition to our management team," said
Barry Harmon, president and chief executive officer of ESI. "Under his
leadership, we believe ESI will reestablish a strong financial
reporting process and internal control environment."
    Dodson has extensive financial and accounting experience in the
semiconductor capital equipment industry. Most recently, he was chief
financial officer of SpeedFam-IPEC, Inc. in Chandler, Arizona, where
he successfully managed a restructuring of the company and reorganized
the structure of its Asian operations. From 1996 to 1999, he was vice
president, corporate controller and chief accounting officer of
Novellus Systems, Inc. in San Jose, California. Prior to that, Dodson
was an auditor with Ernst & Young in San Jose, where his client base
was high technology manufacturing companies.
    "I am pleased to join ESI to work with the management team and
board of directors," said Dodson. "I am impressed with the commitment
of the current ESI team and am confident in our ability to push
through these challenging times and emerge a stronger company. To
ensure an efficient and effective process, ESI has brought a strong
team of professionals and resources to bear on the ongoing review of
the company's fiscal 2003 financial statements."
    Okumoto, who joined ESI in February 2003 as vice president of
administration and chief financial officer, said, "I look forward to
returning to the San Francisco Bay area. I plan to take a position as
an executive officer with another public company."

    This press release contains express or implied forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements include, but are
not limited to, those regarding the ongoing review of the Company's
financial statements, the strength of the Company's financial
reporting process and internal control environment and the strength of
the Company's fundamental business. Such "forward-looking statements"
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors,
which may cause actual results or performance to be materially
different from those projected. For more information regarding the
risks facing the Company, please see the Company's annual report on
Form 10-K for the year ended June 1, 2002 and subsequent quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q and its other filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake to update any
forward-looking statements.

    About ESI

    ESI, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, supplies high-value,
high-technology manufacturing equipment to the global electronics
market. Using its expertise in laser/material interaction, small parts
handling, machine vision and real-time control systems, the company
enables the production of leading-edge products for customers in the
semiconductor, passive component and electronic interconnect markets.
ESI's web site is http://www.esi.com.

    CONTACT: Electro Scientific Industries
             Fletcher Chamberlin, 503/671-5233