How much does a chip factory tech make?

In the US, experience and useful skills can raise pay, and employers in different industries or places may pay differently. Since chip factories run around the clock, night and weekend shifts may also affect extra pay.

Perform any or all of the following functions in the manufacture of electronic semiconductors: load semiconductor material into furnace; saw formed ingots into segments; load individual segment into crystal growing chamber and monitor controls; locate crystal axis in ingot using x-ray equipment and saw ingots into wafers; and clean, polish, and load wafers into series of special purpose furnaces, chemical baths, and equipment used to form circuitry and change conductive properties.

What's a typical day like?

After putting on a bunny suit, you read work orders and load wafers into machines that clean, polish, or etch them. You monitor settings, inspect wafers for flaws—sometimes with a microscope—and record results.

In the US, earn a high school diploma and study math, science, and electronics; a community-college certificate or associate degree can also help. You can also enter through a registered apprenticeship, then learn cleanroom rules, equipment, and chip testing on the job.

High school plus some training (preparation level 2 of 5)

Good for people who like building and doing and keeping things organized.

A semiconductor cleanroom can be 10,000 times cleaner than a hospital operating room—because one speck of dust could ruin a microprocessor.