Top Skills for This Career
BLS identifies these as the three highest-rated skills for this detailed occupation. TrustInEd adds the plain-language explanations so visitors understand what each skill means.
Paying close attention to accuracy, quality, instructions, and small but important details.
Adjusting effectively when priorities, conditions, tools, or expectations change.
Understanding written information and communicating ideas clearly in writing.
How Do You Prepare for This Career?
BLS describes the typical preparation for this occupation. Requirements can vary by employer, state, licensing rules and individual circumstances.
How to Become One
How to Become a Semiconductor Processing Technician Newly hired semiconductor processing technicians typically receive on-the-job
Education
Semiconductor processing technicians typically need a high school diploma to enter the occupation. High school students interested in becoming semiconductor processing technicians should take classes in mathematics, science, and electronics. However, there are other paths to becoming a technician. For example, some candidates with a high school diploma complete a certificate program that prepares them to operate semiconductor processing equipment. Other candidates have an associate’s degree in a field such as industrial electronics technology or microelectronics. Postsecondary certificate and associate’s degree programs, which may include skills training, are usually offered at community colleges. Some students gain hands-on experience through internships with local semiconductor processing facilities. These partnerships allow aspiring technicians to work in a cleanroom environment and observe processing activities such as wafer handling, quality control, and documentation, as well as to operate equipment. Employers may require candidates to have completed a skills program demonstrating their understanding of semiconductor production equipment. Training Newly hired semiconductor processing technicians typically receive on-the-job training. During this training, technicians learn how to work in a cleanroom, operate equipment, and test new microchips. Length of training varies but typically lasts from 1 month to 1 year. Workers whose educational program included instruction on the equipment or techniques used in microchip manufacturing may need less on-the-job training.
Training
. Semiconductor processing technicians typically need a high school diploma or the equivalent to enter the occupation. Some technicians complete a certificate or associate’s degree program. Once hired, they typically receive on-the-job training.
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Pay
the median annual wage for all workers was $50,980.
Job Outlook
Job Outlook Employment of semiconductor processing technicians is projected to grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 3,400 openings for semiconductor processing technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Employment Rising demand for semiconductors—which are used in a wide range of products, from vehicles to medical equipment—is expected to create jobs for these workers over the projections decade. In addition, federal funding for the construction of new semiconductor manufacturing facilities, expansions of existing plants, and tax credits for manufacturers’ equipment expenses are expected to spur new investments in U.S. semiconductor production, further increasing the need for semiconductor processing technicians. Semiconductor Processing Technicians Percent change in employment, projected 2025–35 Semiconductor processing technicians 8% Total, all occupations 3% Other production occupations 0% Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
What They Do
What Semiconductor Processing Technicians Do
Semiconductor processing technicians perform tasks in the manufacture of electronic semiconductors, commonly known as integrated circuits or microchips, that are used in cars, smartphones, and other everyday devices. Throughout production, these workers process silicon crystals into flat wafers, the primary material used in manufacturing semiconductors.
Duties
Semiconductor processing technicians typically do the following:
- Review work orders and processing charts
- Monitor machines that slice silicon crystals into wafers for processing
- Use equipment to clean and polish the silicon wafers
- Load wafers into the equipment that creates patterns and forms electronic circuitry
- Set and adjust manufacturing equipment controls
- Adjust equipment and repair as needed during the manufacturing process
- Test completed microchips to ensure that they work properly
- Review manufacturing processes and suggest improvements
Semiconductor processing technicians are largely responsible for quality control in the manufacturing process. Their tasks ensure that robotics and other automated machinery operate during production according to set parameters so that completed microchips function properly.
Before production begins, semiconductor processing technicians prepare to enter the contamination-free “cleanroom” by putting on special garments, called “bunny suits,” to preserve its sterile environment. Inside the cleanroom, they are assigned a station at which they operate equipment such as a photolithography machine, which projects light beams to imprint a pattern on wafers; an etching machine, which cuts or dissolves the pattern into the wafers’ surface; or polishing machines that remove irregularities from the wafers’ outer layer. They monitor the equipment during manufacturing and control the electrical, temperature, or other process parameters to ensure quality.
Throughout production, semiconductor processing technicians test wafers for imperfections. They may perform a process inspection using an optical or electron microscope. They also capture process data from the manufacturing equipment and record data as part of their testing documentation. The data these technicians collect are crucial to helping engineers determine the source of any production issues that may arise.
Work Environment
Work Environment
Semiconductor processing technicians held about 31,200 jobs in 2025. The largest employers of semiconductor processing technicians were as follows:
| Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing | 89% |
| Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing | 9 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 1 |
Semiconductor processing technicians work in “cleanrooms” that are filtered to be free of impurities in order to avoid damaging the microchips produced. They also wear special lightweight garments, called “bunny suits,” over their clothes to keep contaminants such as lint, dust, or other particles from disrupting the manufacturing process.
Work Schedules
Most semiconductor processing technicians work full time. Shift work is common and may include early mornings, nights, and weekends because semiconductor manufacturing facilities operate around the clock.
Important Qualities
The following are examples of qualities that are important for these workers to perform their duties. For more information, visit the Employment Projections (EP) skills data page. Communication skills. Semiconductor processing technicians must be able to clearly convey to engineers and others their recommendations for improving the manufacturing process. Computer skills. Semiconductor processing technicians must be able to modify specifications in programmable manufacturing equipment, such as to adjust for changes in robot sensing requirements. Critical-thinking skills. Semiconductor processing technicians use logic and reasoning to uncover problems and determine solutions during the manufacturing process. Detail oriented. Semiconductor processing technicians must be able to spot tiny imperfections because minor errors can ruin a microchip. Dexterity. Semiconductor processing technicians must be able to make precise cuts and measurements with manufacturing tools and equipment.
More Information
More Information, Including Links to O*NET
Learn more about semiconductor processing technicians by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
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Start with ED →Career data and occupational profile text are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections program. Education requirements are typical entry-level requirements and may vary by employer, state, occupation or individual circumstance. View the official BLS profile.