Wafer fabricator vs probe operator

The differences between wafer fabricators and probe operators 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 $37,901 average annual salary of a probe operator.

The top three skills for a wafer fabricator include semiconductor, statistical methods and etching. The most important skills for a probe operator are CDL, clean room environment, and semiconductor.

Wafer fabricator vs probe operator overview

	Wafer Fabricator	Probe Operator
Yearly salary	$62,984	$37,901
Hourly rate	$30.28	$18.22
Growth rate	3%	7%
Number of jobs	1,647	29,814
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 31%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Wafer fabricator vs probe operator salary

Wafer fabricators and probe operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wafer Fabricator	Probe Operator
Average salary	$62,984	$37,901
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $95,000	Between $26,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between wafer fabricator and probe operator education

There are a few differences between a wafer fabricator and a probe operator in terms of educational background:

	Wafer Fabricator	Probe Operator
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Wafer fabricator vs probe operator demographics

Here are the differences between wafer fabricators' and probe operators' demographics:

	Wafer Fabricator	Probe Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 69.8% Female, 30.2%	Male, 59.2% Female, 40.8%
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, 8.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 26.2% Asian, 6.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between wafer fabricator and probe operator 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

Probe operator example responsibilities.

Follow all specifications and follow OCAP when need.
Inspect semiconductor circuits by microscopes.
Monitor, control and operate computerized wafer equipment for the inspection, etching or alignment of integrate circuits.
Maintain proper communication with management and frac crews on/off-site.

Wafer fabricator vs probe operator skills

Common wafer fabricator skills

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

Common probe operator skills

CDL, 52%
Clean Room Environment, 28%
Semiconductor, 19%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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