Median hourly earnings of electronic semiconductor processors were $13.14 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $10.76 and $16.39 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $9.28, and the top 10 percent earned more than $20.35 an hour.
Technicians with an associate degree in electronics or semiconductor technology generally start at higher salaries than those with less education. Between a fourth and a half of all electronic semiconductor processors belong to a union, considerably higher than the rate for all occupations.
Electronic semiconductors — also known as computer chips, microchips, or integrated circuits — are the miniature but powerful brains of high-technology equipment. Semiconductors are composed of a myriad of tiny aluminum or copper lines and electric switches, which manipulate the flow of electrical current. Semiconductor processors are responsible for many of the steps necessary in the manufacture of each semiconductor that goes into personal computers, missile guidance systems, and a host of other electronic equipment.
Semiconductor processors manufacture semiconductors in disks of varying sizes, generally eight to twelve inches wide. These disks, called wafers, are thin slices of silicon on which the circuitry of the microchips is layered. Each wafer is eventually cut into dozens or scores of individual chips.
Semiconductor processors make wafers by means of photolithography, a printing process for creating patterns from photographic images. Operating automated equipment, workers imprint precise microscopic patterns of the circuitry on the wafers, etch out the patterns with acids, and replace the patterns with metals that conduct electricity. Then, the wafers receive a chemical bath to make them smooth, and the imprint process begins again on a new layer with the next pattern. Wafers usually have from 8 to 20 such layers of microscopic, three-dimensional circuitry.
Semiconductors are produced in semiconductor-fabricating plants, or "fabs.Ó Within fabs, the manufacture and cutting of wafers to create semiconductors takes place in "cleanroomsÓ — production areas that must be kept free of any airborne matter, because the least bit of dust can damage a semiconductor. All semiconductor processors working in cleanrooms — both operators and technicians — must wear special lightweight outer garments known as "bunny suits.Ó These garments fit over clothing to prevent lint and other particles from contaminating semiconductor-processing worksites.
Operators, who make up the majority of the workers in cleanrooms, start and monitor the sophisticated equipment that performs the various tasks during the many steps of the semiconductor production sequence. They spend a great deal of time at computer terminals, monitoring the operation of the equipment to ensure that each of the tasks in the production of the wafer is performed correctly. Operators also may transfer wafer carriers from one development station to the next; in newer fabs, the lifting of heavy wafer carriers and the constant monitoring for quality control are increasingly being automated.
Once begun, the production of semiconductor wafers is continuous. Operators work to the pace of the machinery that has largely automated the production process. Operators are responsible for keeping the automated machinery within proper operating parameters.
Technicians account for a smaller percentage of the workers in cleanrooms, but they troubleshoot production problems and make equipment adjustments and repairs. They also take the lead in assuring quality control and in maintaining equipment. To keep equipment repairs to a minimum, technicians perform diagnostic analyses and run computations. For example, technicians may determine if a flaw in a chip is due to contamination, and peculiar to that wafer, or if the flaw is inherent in the manufacturing process.
Between 2002 and 2012, employment of semiconductor processors is projected to decline. The two main reasons for this reversal are much higher productivity and rising imports. Companies are upgrading many of their older fabs to make larger 12Ó wafers, which produce twice as many chips as fabs making 8Ó wafers. These plants also are more automated, allowing them to sharply increase production with the same number of workers. A number of domestic companies also are building more fabs overseas, where costs are lower. In addition, imports of semiconductors from non-U.S. companies are on the rise and should continue to increase throughout the decade. Besides the creation of new jobs, additional openings will result from the need to replace workers who leave the occupation.
Despite the expected decline in employment of semiconductor processors, the demand for semiconductor chips remains very high stemming from the many existing and future applications for semiconductors in computers, appliances, machinery, biotechnology, vehicles, cell phones and other telecommunications devices, and other equipment. Moreover, the advent of the new 64-bit microchip is expected to provide the power of computer servers or workstations, onto desktop computers and open up a wealth of new applications, particularly in medical devices.
Industry development of semiconductors made from better materials means that semiconductors will become even smaller, more powerful, and more durable. For example, the industry has begun producing a new generation of microchips made with copper rather than aluminum wires, which will better conduct electricity. Also, technology to develop chips based on plastic, rather than on silicon, will make computers durable enough to be used in a variety of applications in which they could not easily have been used previously.
Job prospects will be best for people with postsecondary education in electronics or semiconductor technology.
.People interested in becoming semiconductor processors — either operators or technicians — need a solid background in mathematics and the physical sciences. In addition to applying these disciplines to the complex manufacturing processes performed in fabs, math and science knowledge are essentials for pursuing higher education in semiconductor technology — and knowledge of both subjects is one of the best ways to advance in the semiconductor fabricating field.
Semiconductor processor workers must also be able to think analytically and critically to anticipate problems and avoid costly mistakes. Communication skills also are vital, as workers must be able to convey their thoughts and ideas both orally and in writing.
A high school diploma or equivalent is the minimum requirement for entry-level operator jobs in semiconductor fabrication plants. However, employers increasingly prefer persons who have completed associate degree programs for semiconductor processor jobs. While completion of a 1-year certificate program in semiconductor technology offered by some community colleges is an asset for most processor jobs, technicians must have at least an associate degree in electronics technology or a related field.
Degree or certificate candidates who get hands-on training while attending school look even more attractive to prospective employers. Semiconductor technology programs in a growing number of community colleges include an internship at a semiconductor fabricating plant; many students in these programs already hold full- or part-time jobs in the industry and work toward degrees in semiconductor technology in their spare time to update their skills or qualify for promotion to technician jobs. In addition, to ensure that operators and technicians keep their skills current, many employers provide 40 hours of formal training annually. Some employers also provide financial assistance to employees who want to earn associate and bachelorÕs degrees.
Summer and part-time employment provide another option for getting started in the field for those who live near a semiconductor processing plant. Students often are hired to work during the summer, and some students are allowed to continue working part time during the school year. Students in summer and part-time semiconductor processor jobs learn what education they need to prosper in the field. They also gain valuable experience that may lead to full-time employment after graduation.
Some semiconductor processing technicians transfer to sales engineer jobs with suppliers of the machines that manufacture the semiconductors or become field support personnel.
.Electronic semiconductor processors do production work that resembles the work of precision assemblers and fabricators of electrical and electronic equipment. Also, many electronic semiconductor processors have academic training in semiconductor technology, which emphasizes scientific and engineering principles. Other occupations that require some college or postsecondary vocational training emphasizing such principles are engineering technicians, electrical and electronics engineers, and science technicians.
For more information on semiconductor processor careers, contact:
Electronics Organizing Committee was a nexus of activity, out of which other organizations developed. committee who left the plants to work on its staff. It fought successfully for the elimination of such carcinogenic chemicals as trichloroethylene, and for the rights of electronics workers to know the hazards of toxics in the workplace. While the number of engineers and managers has increased slightly, job losses have fallen much more heavily on operators and technicians. The Development of the High Tech Workforce Part 3.
Summary of: http://dbacon.igc.org/Unions/04hitec4.htm
Sick leave and exposure to physical and chemical hazards were determined by self reporting. Age, work schedule, and duration of work in the factory were significant confounders only in certain cases. In Malaysia, the semiconductor industry is dominated by semiconductor assembly factories. Its aim was to collect baseline data on occupational health of production workers, and health policies and programmes at the workplace; although the focus was on reproductive health hazards. In each factory, the researchers were first briefed by the relevant personnel on work processes, hazards, and health and safety precautions taken.
Summary of: http://oem.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/60/4/262
SEMICONDUCTOR WORKERS RATED AMONG THE NATION'S SAFEST IN 2002 BLS SURVEY- SAN JOSE, Calif. semiconductor industry (SIC 3674; NAICS 334413). semiconductor industry continues to rank in the top five percent of all US industries for having the fewest number of employee injuries and illnesses,Ó said George Scalise, SIA President. In 2002, the semiconductor industry ranked seventh (7th) lowest out of 201 durable goods manufacturing industries in the annual survey. industries has been the primary source of information concerning the safety and health experience of the American workforce since 1972.
Summary of: http://www.sia-online.org/pre_release.cfm?ID=297
Semiconductors are composed of a myriad of tiny aluminum or copper lines and electric switches, which manipulate the flow of electrical current. These disks, called wafers, are thin slices of silicon on which the circuitry of the microchips is layered. They spend a great deal of time at computer terminals, monitoring the operation of the equipment to ensure that each of the tasks in the production of the wafer is performed correctly. Technicians account for a smaller percentage of the workers in cleanrooms, but they troubleshoot production problems and make equipment adjustments and repairs. They also take the lead in assuring quality control and in maintaining equipment.
Summary of: http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/produ22.shtml
Starting in the early 1970s, workers began to form organizing committees affiliated to the UE in plants belonging to National Semiconductor, Siltec, Fairchild, Siliconix, Semimetals, and others. Most of these were semiconductor manufacturing plants, or factories which supplied raw materials to those plants. One participant in this upsurge was a young woman who helped start a rank-and-file organizing committee at the Siliconix plant in the early 1970s. Manan remembers that the union published 5000 copies a month of a newsletter, The Union Voice, in three languages - English, Spanish and Tagalog. "A few of us were aboveground, to give workers the idea that the union was an open and legitimate organization, but most workers were not publicly identified with the union," he recalls.
Summary of: http://dbacon.igc.org/Unions/04hitec3.htm
Semiconductor Materials Industry EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Overview The first five years of the 1990s were a period of tremendous growth for the semiconductor materials industry. companies to join larger corporate entities, domestic or foreign, to win needed capital for expansion. Total shipments of domestic packaging materials declined in several important areas between 1991 and 1995, the time period studied for all aspects of this assessment. In addition, total research and development in this area fell a dramatic 94 percent between 1991 and 1995. Thirty-one of the firms in the survey were owned by foreign parent companies, a number that reflects the global nature of the semiconductor industry.
Summary of: http://www.bxa.doc.gov/DefenseIndustrialBasePrograms/OSIES/DefMarketResearchRpts/SemiconductorMaterialsYr97.html
Workers from the National Semiconductor plant in Greenock have already opened compensation claims and believe that the IBM case could strengthen their hand. She suspected the cancer that was to kill her was, like other cases known to the group, related to exposures at the Greenock National Semiconductor plant where she worked. Last year the organisation caved in and said it would conduct a study. Spokesperson Jim McCourt believes the case in California could be vital for Scottish claims. Four Scottish semiconductor manufacturers were guilty of 28 breaches of the regulations meant to protect the health and safety of workers, reports the Sunday Herald.
Summary of: http://www.hazards.org/haz76/natsemi.htm
One of them was his wife Debbie, who had to undergo two operations to remove brain tumors and remains partially paralyzed from the experiences. Debbie left the computer chip industry in 1989; Henry in 1992. Drew adamantly believes that the US government should have played a stronger role in monitoring the semiconductor industry in the 1980s to protect worker health and prevent safety problems. The lawsuits are bringing high profile attention to the environmental and occupational impact of the world's largest and fastest growing manufacturing sector. Few industries require the same amount of toxic chemicals to manufacture products.
Summary of: http://www.towardfreedom.com/1999/nov99/toxicchips.htm