Careers / Semiconductor Processing Technicians

Semiconductor Processing Technicians — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$51,430

United States, 2025

Employment

31,460

United States, 2025

Typical education

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

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.

O*NET code
51-9141.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
None

Typical tasks

  • Inspect materials, components, or products for surface defects and measure circuitry, using electronic test equipment, precision measuring instruments, microscope, and standard procedures.
  • Study work orders, instructions, formulas, and processing charts to determine specifications and sequence of operations.
  • Clean semiconductor wafers using cleaning equipment, such as chemical baths, automatic wafer cleaners, or blow-off wands.
  • Maintain processing, production, and inspection information and reports.
  • Place semiconductor wafers in processing containers or equipment holders, using vacuum wand or tweezers.
  • Load and unload equipment chambers and transport finished product to storage or to area for further processing.
  • Manipulate valves, switches, and buttons, or key commands into control panels to start semiconductor processing cycles.
  • Inspect equipment for leaks, diagnose malfunctions, and request repairs.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$37,690
10th
$45,640
25th
$51,430
Median
$65,010
75th
$82,540
90th

10th percentile

$37,690

25th percentile

$45,640

75th percentile

$65,010

90th percentile

$82,540

Most important skills

  • Operations Monitoring3.6
  • Critical Thinking3.4
  • Reading Comprehension3.4
  • Monitoring3.3
  • Active Listening3.3
  • Quality Control Analysis3.3
  • Troubleshooting2.9
  • Equipment Maintenance2.9
  • Operation and Control2.9
  • Social Perceptiveness2.9
  • Coordination2.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.9

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 6 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

6

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Operations Monitoring3.63.5Not selected3.5
Reading Comprehension3.43.4Not selected3.4
Quality Control Analysis3.33.4Not selected3.4
Monitoring3.33.0Not selected3.0
Critical Thinking3.42.9Not selected2.9
Active Listening3.32.9Not selected2.9

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Phoenix, AZ$78,9402,2602025
AZ$78,9402,2702025
Manchester, NH$63,7402025
OR$63,3306,6202025
Portland, OR$62,8107,2902025
FL$62,3301902025
Orlando, FL$62,3201002025
Boston, MA$59,1105602025
WA$58,7109902025
Minneapolis, MN$57,7802025
MN$57,7802025
NC$56,160602025
Oxnard, CA$55,170402025
New York, NY$54,280702025
CO$52,3607902025
MA$51,4101,1902025
San Jose, CA$50,8202,1302025
NY$49,4001,7502025
Atlanta, GA$48,5802025
GA$48,5802025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Semiconductor Processing Technicians to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.