Semiconductor Manufacturing Technician: What Is It? and How to Become One? | Ziprecruiter (2024)

FAQs

What is a semiconductor manufacturing technician? ›

Semiconductor technicians are highly skilled workers who test new kinds of semiconductor devices (which are commonly known as integrated circuits or microchips) being designed for use in many kinds of modern electronic equipment.

To become a semiconductor manufacturing technician, you typically need to have several years of technical experience or training, which can include on-the-job training, a vocational training program, or an associate degree in electrical engineering or electronics design.

A thorough understanding of semiconductors, electronics, and the production process is necessary for semiconductor technicians. Investigative, research, communication, and critical-thinking skills, a detail-oriented personality, dexterity, and knowledge of computers and computer programs are also important.

Graduates have an option to pursue a bachelor's degree in computer or electrical engineering technology. This degree will prepare students to enter emerging fields such as semiconductor fabrication, micro-electro-mechanical systems, and nanotechnology.

Salaries at ON Semiconductor range from an average of $64,064 to $149,912 a year.

Semi conductors and communication can be treated as moderately difficult.

To be a semiconductor engineer, you need a bachelor's degree in electrical and computer engineering, chemical engineering, physics, or a closely related subject. To work as a manufacturing technician, you may only need a high school diploma and job training or an associate degree.

EdX.org offers courses and certifications that allow you to study the properties of semiconductors from the comfort of your own home or office. Courses are developed in partnership with leading institutions in the field and taught by teachers, researchers, and mentors with hands-on experience.

A bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering or a related field, such as applied physics with materials science or electrical engineering, is usually a good background for those interested in a career as a semiconductor engineer.

What is the job description of a semiconductor? ›

Inspect materials, components, or products for surface defects and measure circuitry, using electronic test equipment, precision measuring instruments, microscope, and standard procedures. Clean semiconductor wafers using cleaning equipment, such as chemical baths, automatic wafer cleaners, or blow-off wands.

As of Jun 8, 2023, the average annual pay for a Semiconductor in the United States is $89,387 a year.

Some of the most important hard skills a technician can possess include diagnosing issues, performing preventative maintenance, working with hand tools, and compliance with safety procedures. When it comes to soft skills, technicians should have strong customer service and communication skills.

With a current high demand in their services, semiconductor engineers need a set of skills in order to stand a chance in an already competitive industry. These include data analysis and processing, engineering design, manufacturing process engineering and troubleshooting.

Semiconductor jobs are high-paying and offer a lot of room for growth. While semiconducting jobs can pay a lot, these positions often require the most experience. Semiconductor Engineers have the highest earning potential, with the average salary starting at $96k a year.

Semiconductor engineer salaries typically range between $69,000 and $134,000 a year. The average hourly rate for semiconductor engineers is $46.61 per hour. Location, education, and experience impacts how much a semiconductor engineer can expect to make.

Global semiconductor shortages, driven by high demand during the pandemic and ongoing supply chain disruptions, have impacted the electronics industry over the past two years.

Changes In Demand For Semiconductors

Despite the recent setbacks, the long-term outlook for the semiconductor industry remains strong in part due to automotive manufacturing needs. An 2022 analysis from McKinsey estimated that the auto industry accounts for roughly 20% of microprocessor demand.

Should I join semiconductor industry? ›

If you're considering a career in semiconductors, now is the time to make your move. The industry is booming and is expected to continue growing for the foreseeable future. This is due to the increasing demand for electronic devices, as well as the advancement of new technologies such as 5G and the Internet of Things.

The process starts with the arrival of thin, circular silicon slices, called wafers. Each will spend an average of three months getting engraved and printed. Chips are too intricate to be built by human hands. Workers keep the automated machinery up and running, but don't build chips themselves.

Chips are the general term for semiconductor component products, which are the carriers of integrated circuits and are divided from wafers. The silicon wafer is a small piece of silicon containing an integrated circuit, and it is a part of a computer or other electronic device.

In July 2022, MIT News announced that cubic boron arsenide could be a possible alternative to silicon. Cubic boron arsenide performs better than silicon at conducting heat and electricity.

The semiconductor industry is the aggregate of companies engaged in the design and fabrication of semiconductors and semiconductor devices, such as transistors and integrated circuits. It formed around 1960, once the fabrication of semiconductor devices became a viable business.

As a semiconductor engineer, you gain an extensive level of career flexibility. You can trial full-time jobs to find positions that align with your goals, or even become a contractor where you can set your own rates.

Industry experts tend to divide semiconductor jobs into two categories: engineers and skilled technicians. Workers in these jobs develop and make semiconductors. Engineers are responsible for semiconductor research, design, and development. They are also responsible for designing and improving production processes.

The most used semiconductor materials are silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide.

CPUs that operate personal computers are also made with semiconductors. Many digital consumer products in everyday life such as mobile phones / smartphones, digital cameras, televisions, washing machines, refrigerators and LED bulbs also use semiconductors.

The elemental semiconductors are those composed of single species of atoms, such as silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), and tin (Sn) in column IV and selenium (Se) and tellurium (Te) in column VI of the periodic table.

What is semiconductor diploma? ›

The certificate provides students with the knowledge of physics of semiconductors, the theory and the operations of some important semiconductor devices, IC packaging processes and testing techniques.

Semiconductor cleanrooms are required to meet ISO 14644-1 Class 5 or lower, which mandates a maximum of 3,520 particles at 0.5µm or smaller per cubic meter of air. They must also comply with ISO 14644-2, which requires the implementation of a quality control system that meets rigorous classification criteria.

The average Semiconductor & Circuit Manufacturing business in the US has 141.6 employees.

Semiconductors are materials which have a conductivity between conductors (generally metals) and nonconductors or insulators (such as most ceramics). Semiconductors can be pure elements, such as silicon or germanium, or compounds such as gallium arsenide or cadmium selenide.

Materials having resistivity or conductivity in between conductors and insulators, are called semiconductors. These are the materials with the forbidden energy gap between valence and conduction band <3eV. It is less than that of insulators (>3eV) and more than that of conductors.

The most common hard skill for a semiconductor engineer is data analysis. 21.2% semiconductor engineers have this skill on their resume. The second most common hard skill for a semiconductor engineer is rf appearing on 18.7% of resumes. The third most common is failure analysis on 17.9% of resumes.

Taiwan. Taiwan has the world's most advanced chip-making infrastructure. It has a brand new 3-nanometer facility that started production in the latter half of 2022.

All top ten companies in 2021 remained in 2022, with Apple and Samsung Electronics retaining the top two spots. Only Samsung Electronics and Sony increased their chip spending in 2022 (see Table 1). HP Inc. Apple remained at the top of the semiconductor spending customer ranking for the fourth year in a row.

What is the easiest role in tech? ›

Web Developer

Right, moving on to web developers, one of the most well-known roles in tech. It's one of the easiest roles to get because there is always something that needs coding, fixing, adding on, and new projects that emerge.

Some examples of semiconductors are silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, and elements near the so-called "metalloid staircase" on the periodic table. After silicon, gallium arsenide is the second-most common semiconductor and is used in laser diodes, solar cells, microwave-frequency integrated circuits, and others.

Uses of Semiconductor

Semiconductors are widely used in manufacturing electronics devices like transistors, diodes, sensors, integrated circuits. Semiconductors are widely used in all electronic devices, like mobile phones, digital cameras, communication devices, trains, ATMs, etc.

The global semiconductor market size was USD 527.88 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow from USD 573.44 billion in 2022 to USD 1,380.79 billion in 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 12.2% during the forecast period. Based on our analysis, the global semiconductor market exhibited a rise of 6.8% in 2020 compared to 2019.

Semiconductors are the brains of modern electronics, enabling technologies critical to U.S. economic growth, national security, and global competitiveness. Semiconductors have driven advances in communications, computing, health care, military systems, transportation, clean energy, and countless other applications.

The work of semiconductor technicians is not physically strenuous and is usually done in an extremely clean environment. Technicians may work with hazardous chemicals, however, and proper safety precautions must be strictly followed.

Semiconductor processors oversee the manufacturing of electronic semiconductors, which are commonly known as integrated circuits or microchips. These microchips are found in all electronic devices—including cell phones, cars, and laptops—and are an important part of modern life.

Manufacturing Technicians operate industrial equipment, work with manufacturing related tools, and perform work processes related to a wide variety of manufacturing settings. They inspect and test finished products for flaws.

Is on semiconductor a good company to work for? ›

Is onsemi a good company to work for? onsemi has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 1,412 reviews left anonymously by employees. 68% of employees would recommend working at onsemi to a friend and 63% have a positive outlook for the business.

ON Semiconductor Corp (Onsemi) is a designer, manufacturer, and supplier of semiconductor products and solutions. The company offers products under Power Solutions Group (PSG), the Advanced Solutions Group (ASG) and the Intelligent Sensing Group (ISG).

What does a technician do all day? A technician is a skilled employee who repairs, installs, replaces, and services various types of equipment and systems. Each day, a technician spends time tackling different tasks, depending on the issue, such as analyzing problems, running tests, and repairing equipment.