Also called: Integrated Photonics Engineer, Photonic Chip Designer
Designs computer chips that move data with light instead of electricity, used in AI data centers.
You design tiny light 'wires' and switches etched into a silicon chip, then test the first wafers by shining a laser into them under a microscope. If too much light leaks out, you redesign a curve that's narrower than a germ.
AI data center demand is pushing pay up quickly.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 8 years after high school. Master's or PhD in electrical engineering, optics or physics.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Optical Engineering, Optics & Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering.
Growing faster than average. Not tracked separately by BLS; photonics demand is growing with AI data centers, lidar and AR.
Low risk for 10 years. AI data centers drive huge demand for optical chips; AI helps simulate devices, but lab testing and design innovation stay human.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus, AP Computer Science, AP Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2199.
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