Wafer fabricator vs crystal grower

The differences between wafer fabricators and crystal growers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a wafer fabricator has an average salary of $62,984, which is higher than the $48,359 average annual salary of a crystal grower.

Wafer fabricator vs crystal grower overview

	Wafer Fabricator	Crystal Grower
Yearly salary	$62,984	$48,359
Hourly rate	$30.28	$23.25
Growth rate	3%	1%
Number of jobs	1,647	135
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Wafer fabricator vs crystal grower salary

Wafer fabricators and crystal growers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wafer Fabricator	Crystal Grower
Average salary	$62,984	$48,359
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $95,000	Between $24,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between wafer fabricator and crystal grower education

There are a few differences between a wafer fabricator and a crystal grower in terms of educational background:

	Wafer Fabricator	Crystal Grower
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Veterinary Medicine
Most common college	-	-

Wafer fabricator vs crystal grower demographics

Here are the differences between wafer fabricators' and crystal growers' demographics:

	Wafer Fabricator	Crystal Grower
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 69.8% Female, 30.2%	Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 8.0% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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 wafer fabricator and crystal grower duties and responsibilities

Wafer fabricator example responsibilities.

Perform basic routine operation in GaAs and silicon wafer fabrication environments, basic wafer etching and probe testing production processes.
Operate acid bath sinks for wafer etching ..
Train to do digital I/O and analog diagnostics.
Direct a team of over 60 wafer fab operators and 3 supervisors using 3 shifts to meet require completion dates.
Use of tweezers for small delicate chips for testing purposes to make sure chip will not be damage or contaminate.
Glass glazing/commercial aluminum window panel fabrication

Crystal grower example responsibilities.

Produce solar grade silicon crystals by operating multiple crystal growing furnaces simultaneously while adhering to strict specification requirements.
Gain knowledge about caterpillar machines and Agco machinery.

Wafer fabricator vs crystal grower skills

Common wafer fabricator skills

Semiconductor, 14%
Statistical Methods, 12%
Etching, 10%
Silicon, 7%
DOE, 6%
Clean Room Environment, 6%

Common crystal grower skills

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Updated January 8, 2025

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