Also called: Dicing Saw Operator, Wafer Saw Operator
Cuts finished silicon wafers into hundreds of tiny individual chips with diamond saws and lasers.
You mount a finished wafer worth thousands of dollars on sticky tape and load it into a dicing saw. A diamond blade thinner than a hair cuts along lines between chips while water cools it. You check the cuts for chipping under a microscope and keep the blade changes on schedule.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.25 years after high school. High school; trained on the job.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Semiconductor Technology.
Growing faster than average. New US chip packaging plants are hiring.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Dicing tools grow more automatic, so fewer operators run more saws, but inspection stays human.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at chip packaging plants or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Physics, Chemistry, Algebra, Computer class.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.