Pickling operator vs wafer cleaner

The differences between pickling operators and wafer cleaners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pickling operator has an average salary of $36,148, which is higher than the $32,974 average annual salary of a wafer cleaner.

Pickling operator vs wafer cleaner overview

	Pickling Operator	Wafer Cleaner
Yearly salary	$36,148	$32,974
Hourly rate	$17.38	$15.85
Growth rate	7%	4%
Number of jobs	26,122	35,496
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Pickling operator vs wafer cleaner salary

Pickling operators and wafer cleaners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pickling Operator	Wafer Cleaner
Average salary	$36,148	$32,974
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $53,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between pickling operator and wafer cleaner education

There are a few differences between a pickling operator and a wafer cleaner in terms of educational background:

	Pickling Operator	Wafer Cleaner
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Biology	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Pickling operator vs wafer cleaner demographics

Here are the differences between pickling operators' and wafer cleaners' demographics:

	Pickling Operator	Wafer Cleaner
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 5.6% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 5.6% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between pickling operator and wafer cleaner duties and responsibilities

Pickling operator example responsibilities.

Clamp sheets and put them in a vat of hydroflouric acid solution until desire thickness is achieved.
Manage aluminum structural/pipe fabrication turnaround: cross-country CGIT/IPB megawatt electrical power conductors.
Perform preventive maintenance, electronic robotic operation, pneumatic system operation, and initial quality control.
Maintain and organize production log books, charts and batch records according to industry standards and FDA regulations.

Wafer cleaner example responsibilities.

Implement unlanded via architecture including chemical selection, dielectric etch chemistry selection and recipe optimization.
Monitor, control and operate computerized wafer equipment for the inspection, etching or alignment of integrate circuits.
Utilize metrology equipment including KLA/Tencor UVxx50 and sp1.follow operating specifications.

Pickling operator vs wafer cleaner skills

Common pickling operator skills

Etch, 100%

Common wafer cleaner skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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