PORTLAND, Ore., April 16 /PRNewswire/ --

Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: ESIO) announced today that ThaiLin Semiconductor Corporation has expanded its memory yield improvement capabilities with the purchase of additional laser semiconductor processing systems. ThaiLin, located

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"ESI has provided us with the latest technology at each product generation shift, and we are confident that they will continue to provide yield improving systems that meet our production roadmap," said Peter Ting, ThaiLin General Manager. "ESI provides the necessary laser wavelength along with superior spot size and stepping accuracy -- all in a robust hardware and software platform to meet our high volume demands."

"I am pleased that ThaiLin continues to use ESI as a supplier of choice," said Keith Taft, ESI's semiconductor products Business Unit Manager. "We will continue to provide laser semiconductor processing systems that help them achieve higher value products, with greater accuracy."

ESI's laser semiconductor processing tools use a patented 1.3 micron wavelength laser which allows high levels of energy to be used to remove metal links without damaging the surrounding silicon. The 1.3 micron laser process gives semiconductor producers flexibility in front-end processing of metal memory link materials. The result is cleaner link cuts and a higher yield of quality product.

Statements in this press release may include forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to materially differ, either better or worse, from those discussed, including possible changes in production schedules. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified in ESI's Annual Reports on Form 10-K and interim reports on Form 10-Q.

About ThaiLin

ThaiLin Semiconductor Corp. is located in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan. Established in 1996, ThaiLin provides high quality probing, final testing, burn-in and laser repair services for DRAM, SRAM and FLASH manufacturers. ThaiLin is the largest final test house in Taiwan.

About ESI

ESI, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, designs and manufactures sophisticated products used around the world in electronics manufacturing including: laser manufacturing systems for semiconductor yield improvement; production and test equipment for the manufacture of surface mount ceramic capacitors; laser trim systems for precise electrical tuning of circuits; precision laser and mechanical drilling systems for electronic interconnection; and machine vision systems. Electro Scientific Industries is traded on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol, "ESIO." ESI's web site is http://www.esi.com .