Wilmer R. Bottoms

WILMER R. BOTTOMS, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of
Credence Systems Corporation, received a Ph.D in Solid State Physics
from Tulane in 1969. He served on the Electrical Engineering faculty at
Princeton University from 1969 until 1976. Dr. Bottoms joined Varian
Associates in 1976 as a Divisional Manager of Research & Development. In
1981, Dr. Bottoms was named the first President of Varian’s
Semiconductor Equipment Group and Vice President of the Company, and in
1985 he joined Patricof & Co. Ventures Inc. as a general partner. Dr.
Bottoms joined the Board of Directors of Credence in January 1985 and
was elected Chairman in July of 1991. He was named CEO in July of 1996.