Dec. 6, 2001 – Minneapolis, MN – FSI International Inc.’s board member and chairman of the board, Joel Elftmann, will be stepping down effective Jan. 23, 2002. Don Mitchell, FSI’s president and CEO, will succeed Elftmann as chairman.

“Joel is one of the pioneers of the semiconductor equipment and materials industry,” stated Mitchell. “He has worked tirelessly to help shape government policy and extend the industry’s reach in every global market. It is through Joel’s vision and leadership that FSI was established nearly thirty years ago and has continued to prosper,” continued Mitchell.

“The timing is right for this decision,” said Elftmann.

Elftmann co-founded FSI International in 1973 as the first cleaning company to commercialize centrifugal wafer rinsing and drying technology. FSI became a worldwide supplier of semiconductor manufacturing technology when in 1975 Elftmann founded the global distributor Metron Technology, and in 1991 established m.FSI, a Japanese joint venture with Mitsui.

Elftmann is the chairman of the Metron Supervisory Board, is a director of Veeco Instruments Inc. and remains an Emeritus Member of the Semiconductor Equipment Materials International (SEMI) board of directors.