Chip Manufacturing

What it is

Once a chip is designed, it has to be built, layer by layer, on a thin slice of silicon called a wafer. This happens in a fab, short for fabrication plant, a factory kept very clean, because even a speck of dust can ruin a chip.

What a day of this work is like

People in manufacturing run and look after the machines that build chips, check that each step is going right, and fix problems when something goes wrong. It is hands-on, careful work, often done in teams around the clock, since the machines run all the time.

How people get here

Helpful school subjects: Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Design and technology.

University subjects that lead here: Chemical engineering (how to run chemical processes at scale); Materials engineering (how materials behave and are made); Electrical engineering.

• No degree neededNarrow
  Start as a semiconductor processing technician after finishing school, with training given on the job. Some people first take a short certificate or a two-year college course in electronics.
  Why it is narrow: These jobs are only found near chip factories, so this route depends on living near one or being able to move.
  Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Semiconductor Processing Technicians
• University degreeOpen
  A degree in chemical, materials or electrical engineering leads to engineer roles that improve and fix the factory's steps.
  Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Materials Engineers
• University degreeOpen
  Chemical engineering is another common route into process work.
  Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Chemical Engineers

No route on these pages guarantees a job. They show the usual ways people get in, and where a way in is narrow, they say so.