Also called: Device Physicist, TCAD Engineer
Uses solid-state physics to understand and improve the tiny transistors inside computer chips.
You run computer simulations of how electrons squeeze through a transistor only a few dozen atoms wide, then compare them with measurements from test wafers. When a new chip design leaks current, you are the one who figures out the physics behind it and suggests a fix to the factory team.
Pay is high at big chipmakers in Oregon, Arizona, Texas and California.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 9 years after high school. PhD in physics, electrical engineering or materials science; some start with a master's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). Physicists overall; new US chip factories are adding demand.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI speeds device simulation, but diagnosing leaky chips from real wafer data with the fab team stays human; demand is strong.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2012.
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.