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Career Details

17-2199.06 - Microsystems Engineers


Research, design, develop, or test microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
136,900
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
142,300
Estimate
Change in Employment
+5,500
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+4%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Plan or schedule engineering research or development projects involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
  • Communicate operating characteristics or performance experience to other engineers or designers for training or new product development purposes.
  • Create or maintain formal engineering documents, such as schematics, bills of materials, components or materials specifications, or packaging requirements.
  • Propose product designs involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, considering market data or customer requirements.
  • Investigate characteristics such as cost, performance, or process capability of potential microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device designs, using simulation or modeling software.
  • Develop formal documentation for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices, including quality assurance guidance, quality control protocols, process control checklists, data collection, or reporting.
  • Create schematics and physical layouts of integrated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) components or packaged assemblies consistent with process, functional, or package constraints.
  • Conduct analyses addressing issues such as failure, reliability, or yield improvement.
Generic
  • Consider environmental issues when proposing product designs involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
  • Design or develop energy products using nanomaterials or nanoprocesses, such as micro-nano machining.
  • Design or develop industrial air quality microsystems, such as carbon dioxide fixing devices.
  • Design or develop sensors to reduce the energy or resource requirements to operate appliances, such as washing machines or dishwashing machines.
  • Design sensors or switches that require little or no power to operate for environmental monitoring or industrial metering applications.
  • Research or develop emerging microelectromechanical (MEMS) systems to convert nontraditional energy sources into power, such as ambient energy harvesters that convert environmental vibrations into usable energy.
Supplemental
  • Manage new product introduction projects to ensure effective deployment of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices or applications.
  • Develop or implement microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) processing tools, fixtures, gages, dies, molds, or trays.
  • Identify, procure, or develop test equipment, instrumentation, or facilities for characterization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications.
  • Develop customer documentation, such as performance specifications, training manuals, or operating instructions.
  • Develop or file intellectual property and patent disclosure or application documents related to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices, products, or systems.
  • Demonstrate miniaturized systems that contain components, such as microsensors, microactuators, or integrated electronic circuits, fabricated on silicon or silicon carbide wafers.
  • Conduct acceptance tests, vendor-qualification protocols, surveys, audits, corrective-action reviews, or performance monitoring of incoming materials or components to ensure conformance to specifications.
  • Refine final microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) design to optimize design for target dimensions, physical tolerances, or processing constraints.
  • Oversee operation of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication or assembly equipment, such as handling, singulation, assembly, wire-bonding, soldering, or package sealing.
  • Evaluate materials, fabrication methods, joining methods, surface treatments, or packaging to ensure acceptable processing, performance, cost, sustainability, or availability.
  • Devise microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) production methods, such as integrated circuit fabrication, lithographic electroform modeling, or micromachining.
  • Develop or validate specialized materials characterization procedures, such as thermal withstand, fatigue, notch sensitivity, abrasion, or hardness tests.
  • Develop or validate product-specific test protocols, acceptance thresholds, or inspection tools for quality control testing or performance measurement.
  • Conduct or oversee the conduct of prototype development or microfabrication activities to ensure compliance to specifications and promote effective production processes.
  • Conduct experimental or virtual studies to investigate characteristics and processing principles of potential microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
  • Validate fabrication processes for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), using statistical process control implementation, virtual process simulations, data mining, or life testing.
  • Conduct harsh environmental testing, accelerated aging, device characterization, or field trials to validate devices, using inspection tools, testing protocols, peripheral instrumentation, or modeling and simulation software.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 92%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Engineering and Technology
  • 92%
    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 Mathematics
  • 81%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Physics
  • 79%
    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
 Design
  • 78%
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 English Language
  • 69%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Production and Processing
  • 65%
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 Mechanical
  • 64%
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
 Administration and Management
  • 60%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Chemistry
  • 60%
    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 53%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Telecommunications
  • 53%
    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 50%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Viewing and observing instruments and accessories
  • Atomic force microscopes AFM
  • Inspection microscopes
  • Optical compound microscopes
  • Scanning electron microscopes SEM
 Electronic manufacturing and processing machinery
  • Atomic layer deposition ALD systems
  • Contact mask aligners
  • Die saws
  • Direct current DC sputtering systems
  • Dry etchers
  • Electron beam evaporators
  • Inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etchers ICP-RIE
  • Laser ablation thin film deposition systems
  • Parylene coaters
  • Photoresist dispensing systems
  • Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition PECVD systems
  • Plasma etchers
  • Radio frequency RF sputtering systems
  • Spin coaters
  • Sputter deposition systems
  • Stepper aligners
  • Thin film deposition systems
  • Vacuum chambers
  • Wet chemical etching systems
  • Wire bonders
 Grinding and sanding and polishing equipment and supplies
  • Chemical mechanical polishing CMP systems
 Fluid mechanics equipment
  • Contact angle measurement systems
 Electronic and communication measuring and testing instruments
  • Curve tracers
  • Network analyzers
  • Parametric testers
  • Semiconductor parameter analyzers
  • Thin film measurement systems
  • Time interval analyzers
 Electrical measuring and testing equipment and accessories
  • Digital multimeters
  • Four point probes
  • Impedance meters
  • Inductance capacitance resistance LCR meters
  • Oscilloscopes
  • Picoammeters
  • Pulse generators
  • Resistivity measurement systems
 Length and thickness and distance measuring instruments
  • Ellipsometers
  • Spectroscopic ellipsometers
 Spectroscopic equipment
  • Extractive Fourier transform infrared FTIR spectrometers
  • Fluorescence spectrophotometers
  • Raman scattering spectroscopes
  • Spectrometers
 Laboratory heating and drying equipment
  • Hotplates
  • Rapid thermal annealers RTA
 Hydraulic presses
  • Hydraulic presses
 Laboratory environmental conditioning equipment
  • Isolation glove boxes
  • Thermal chambers
 Laboratory furnaces and accessories
  • Oxidation furnaces
  • Tube furnaces
 Computers
  • Personal computers
 Crystallography equipment
  • X ray diffractometers
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe PhotoshopHOT
  • FacebookHOT
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
 Industry specific software
  • Anisotropic Crystalline Etch Simulation ACES
  • ANSYS FLUENT
  • ANSYS LS-DYNA
  • ANSYS Multiphysics
  • Autodesk AutoCADHOT
  • Beige Bag Software B2 Spice
  • Cadence PSpice
  • CAzM
  • Circuit simulation software
  • Computer aided design CAD softwareHOT
  • COMSOL Multiphysics
  • Coventor ARCHITECT3D
  • Coventor CoventorWare
  • Dassault Systemes Abaqus
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorksHOT
  • Dolphin Integration SMASH
  • Electric VLSI Design SystemHOT
  • Finite element analysis FEA software
  • Finite element method FEM software
  • FLorida Object Oriented Design Simulator FLOODS
  • FLorida Object Oriented Process Simulator FLOOPS
  • IntelliCADHOT
  • Intusoft ICAP
  • IRSIM
  • KLA-Tencor PROLITH
  • Linear Technology LTSpice
  • MEMSCAP MEMS ProHOT
  • Mentor Graphics LeonardoSpectrum
  • Mentor Graphics ModelSim
  • Microelectromechanical systems MEMS simulation software
  • Microwind Dsch
  • MinitabHOT
  • Molecular visualization software
  • MSC Software Patran
  • Penzar TopSPICE
  • PISCES IIB
  • Process simulation software
  • PTC Creo ParametricHOT
  • SASHOT
  • Schematic capture softwareHOT
  • Siemens PLM
  • Simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis SPICE
  • Simulation software
  • SimWindows
  • Statistical process control SPC software
  • SUPREM
  • Syborg Systems MicroTec
  • Synopsys HSPICE
  • Synopsys Taurus Medici
  • Tanner EDA L-EditHOT
  • Tanner EDA T-SPICE
  • The MathWorks MATLABHOT
  • Transas Group PISCES2
  • Very high speed integrated circuit VHSIC hardware description language VHDL simulation software
  • WinSpice
  • XcircuitHOT
 Operating environment software
  • Apple macOSHOT
  • BashHOT
  • LinuxHOT
  • Microsoft operating system
  • Microsoft WindowsHOT
  • Microsoft Windows ServerHOT
  • Real time operating system RTOS software
  • Shell scriptHOT
  • UNIXHOT
 Development software
  • C
  • C#HOT
  • C++HOT
  • Debugging software
  • JavaScriptHOT
  • Microsoft Visual BasicHOT
  • National Instruments LabVIEWHOT
  • Oracle JavaHOT
  • Practical extraction and reporting language PERLHOT
  • PythonHOT
  • Unified modeling language UMLHOT
  • Verilog
  • Very high speed integrated circuit VHSIC hardware description language VHDL
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Microsoft ProjectHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific certifications are listed for this career
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Central Virginia Community College
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Mountain Empire Community College
New River Community College
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Rappahannock Community College
Southwest Virginia Community College
Wytheville Community College