Also called: Lithography Process Engineer, Optical Lithography Engineer
Works on the extreme-ultraviolet light machines that print the world's most advanced computer chips.
The machines you work with cost over $150 million each, blast tin droplets with lasers to make light, and print chip patterns thinner than a virus. You analyze why tiny defects appear on wafers and test fixes with the fab team. Jobs cluster in Oregon, Arizona, New York, and Texas.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 9 years after high school. Master's or PhD in physics, optics, chemistry, or materials science.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Optical Sciences, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering.
Growing faster than average. New US chip fabs (CHIPS Act) are driving hiring.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI finds defect patterns in wafer data; working on giant EUV machines with the fab team stays hands-on and in demand.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2199.
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