Exhibit 99.1

Cohu Reports Third Quarter Operating Results

POWAY, Calif., October 19, 2011 – Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ:COHU) today reported fiscal 2011 third quarter net sales of $71.8 million and GAAP net income of $3.4 million or $0.14 per share. Net sales for the first nine months of 2011 were $242.4 million and GAAP net income was $15.0 million or $0.61 per share.

The Company also reported non-GAAP results, with third quarter 2011 net income of $5.1 million or $0.21 per share and net income of $20.6 million or $0.84 per share for the first nine months of 2011.

GAAP Results

Sales of semiconductor equipment accounted for 83% of fiscal 2011 third quarter sales. Microwave communications equipment and video cameras and related equipment contributed 11% and 6%, respectively, for the same period.

Orders were $61.4 million for the third quarter of 2011 and $80.6 million for the second quarter of 2011. Orders for semiconductor equipment were $48.5 million in the third quarter of 2011 compared to $69.1 million in the second quarter of 2011. Total consolidated backlog was $74.5 million at September 24, 2011 compared to $84.9 million at June 25, 2011. Cohu expects fourth quarter 2011 sales to be approximately $65 million.

James A. Donahue, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer stated, “Cohu had a solid quarter in a softening market due to better than expected results in our semiconductor equipment business. Orders for our Pyramid, thermal pick-and-place handler, set a quarterly record and a major Asia-based test subcontractor selected our gravity handlers in an evaluation against a competitor’s installed systems.”

Donahue concluded, “According to our data, overall semiconductor test equipment utilization has fallen to the lowest level since late 2009. In view of current conditions in the semiconductor industry and global economic concerns our outlook is cautious for the near term.”

Cohu’s Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per share payable on January 3, 2012 to shareholders of record on November 25, 2011. Cohu has paid consecutive quarterly cash dividends since 1977.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information:

Included within this press release are non-GAAP financial measures that supplement the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income prepared under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). These non-GAAP financial measures adjust the Company’s actual results prepared under GAAP to exclude charges and the related income tax effect for share-based compensation, the amortization of acquired intangible assets and inventory step-up adjustments. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP amounts for the periods presented herein are provided in schedules accompanying this release and should be considered together with the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.

These non-GAAP measures are not meant as a substitute for GAAP, but are included solely for informational and comparative purposes. The Company’s management believes that this information can assist investors in evaluating the Company’s operational trends, financial performance, and cash generating capacity. Management believes these non-GAAP measures allow investors to evaluate Cohu’s financial performance using some of the same measures as management. However, the non-GAAP financial measures should not be regarded as a replacement for (or superior to) corresponding, similarly captioned, GAAP measures.

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain matters discussed in this release, including statements concerning Cohu’s expectations of business conditions, orders, sales, revenues and operating results are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or forecasted. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, inventory, goodwill and other intangible asset write-downs; our ability to convert new products under development into production on a timely basis, support product development and meet customer delivery and acceptance requirements for next generation equipment; our reliance on third-party contract manufacturers; failure to obtain customer acceptance resulting in the inability to recognize revenue and accounts receivable collection problems; customer orders may be canceled or delayed; the concentration of our revenues from a limited number of customers; intense competition in the semiconductor test handler industry; our reliance on patents and intellectual property; compliance with U.S. export regulations; and the cyclical and unpredictable nature of capital expenditures by semiconductor manufacturers. These and other risks and uncertainties are discussed more fully in Cohu’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recently filed Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Cohu assumes no obligation to update the information in this release.

About Cohu:

Cohu is a supplier of test handling, burn-in, thermal subsystems and MEMS test solutions used by the global semiconductor industry, microwave communications and video equipment.

Cohu will be conducting their conference call on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time/4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The call will be webcast at www.cohu.com. Replays of the call can be accessed at www.cohu.com.

For press releases and other information of interest to investors, please visit Cohu’s website at www.cohu.com. Contact: Jeffrey D. Jones - Investor Relations (858) 848-8106

COHU, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

COHU, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands) (Unaudited)

COHU, INC.

Supplemental Reconciliation of GAAP Results to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

Management believes the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures, when taken together with the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company’s operating performance. Our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing the Company’s operating results, as well as when planning, forecasting and analyzing future periods and these non-GAAP measures allow investors to evaluate the Company’s financial performance using some of the same measures as management. Management views share-based compensation as an expense that is unrelated to the Company’s operational performance as it does not require cash payments and can vary in amount from period to period and the elimination of amortization charges provides better comparability of pre and post-acquisition operating results and to results of businesses utilizing internally developed intangible assets. However, the non-GAAP financial measures should not be regarded as a replacement for corresponding, similarly captioned, GAAP measures. The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures above may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies and investors should be careful when comparing our non-GAAP financial measures to those of other companies.

COHU, INC.

Supplemental Reconciliation of GAAP Results to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

Management believes the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures, when taken together with the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company’s operating performance. Our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing the Company’s operating results, as well as when planning, forecasting and analyzing future periods and these non-GAAP measures allow investors to evaluate the Company’s financial performance using some of the same measures as management. Management views share-based compensation as an expense that is unrelated to the Company’s operational performance as it does not require cash payments and can vary in amount from period to period and the elimination of amortization charges provides better comparability of pre and post-acquisition operating results and to results of businesses utilizing internally developed intangible assets. Management has excluded inventory step-up costs associated with our acquisition of Rasco, primarily because it is not reflective of our ongoing operating results, and is not used by management to assess the core profitability of our business operations. However, the non-GAAP financial measures should not be regarded as a replacement for corresponding, similarly captioned, GAAP measures. The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures above may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies and investors should be careful when comparing our non-GAAP financial measures to those of other companies.