Microsystems Engineers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• 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.
• Conduct or oversee the conduct of prototype development or microfabrication activities to ensure compliance to specifications and promote effective production processes.
• Identify, procure, or develop test equipment, instrumentation, or facilities for characterization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications.
• Communicate operating characteristics or performance experience to other engineers or designers for training or new product development purposes.
• Develop or validate specialized materials characterization procedures, such as thermal withstand, fatigue, notch sensitivity, abrasion, or hardness tests.
• Develop formal documentation for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices, including quality assurance guidance, quality control protocols, process control checklists, data collection, or reporting.
• Oversee operation of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication or assembly equipment, such as handling, singulation, assembly, wire-bonding, soldering, or package sealing.
• Develop or implement microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) processing tools, fixtures, gages, dies, molds, or trays.
• Create or maintain formal engineering documents, such as schematics, bills of materials, components or materials specifications, or packaging requirements.
• Evaluate materials, fabrication methods, joining methods, surface treatments, or packaging to ensure acceptable processing, performance, cost, sustainability, or availability.
• Plan or schedule engineering research or development projects involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
• Develop or file intellectual property and patent disclosure or application documents related to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices, products, or systems.
• Identify, procure, or develop test equipment, instrumentation, or facilities for characterization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications.
• Conduct analyses addressing issues such as failure, reliability, or yield improvement.
• Demonstrate miniaturized systems that contain components, such as microsensors, microactuators, or integrated electronic circuits, fabricated on silicon or silicon carbide wafers.
• Investigate characteristics such as cost, performance, or process capability of potential microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device designs, using simulation or modeling software.
• Devise microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) production methods, such as integrated circuit fabrication, lithographic electroform modeling, or micromachining.
• Conduct acceptance tests, vendor-qualification protocols, surveys, audits, corrective-action reviews, or performance monitoring of incoming materials or components to ensure conformance to specifications.
• Create schematics and physical layouts of integrated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) components or packaged assemblies consistent with process, functional, or package constraints.
• Conduct experimental or virtual studies to investigate characteristics and processing principles of potential microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
• Manage new product introduction projects to ensure effective deployment of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices or applications.
• Validate fabrication processes for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), using statistical process control implementation, virtual process simulations, data mining, or life testing.
• 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.
• Refine final microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) design to optimize design for target dimensions, physical tolerances, or processing constraints.
• Plan or schedule engineering research or development projects involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
• Develop or validate specialized materials characterization procedures, such as thermal withstand, fatigue, notch sensitivity, abrasion, or hardness tests.
• Propose product designs involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, considering market data or customer requirements.
• Develop or validate product-specific test protocols, acceptance thresholds, or inspection tools for quality control testing or performance measurement.

Skills

• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.

Abilities

• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.

Knowledge

• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Physics
  • 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.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Engineering and Technology
  • 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.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Administration and Management
  • 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.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • 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.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Public Safety and Security
  • 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.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Chemistry
  • 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.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Education

Education

Bachelor's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Gonzaga University
  E 502 Boone Ave, Spokane WA 99258-0001
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 800-986-9585
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.gonzaga.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• North Seattle College
  9600 College Way North, Seattle WA 98103-3599
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 206-934-3600
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.northseattle.edu/
  Program Name
  Nanotechnology
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Seattle Pacific University
  3307 3rd Ave W, Seattle WA 98119-1997
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 206-281-2000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://spu.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Seattle University
  900 Broadway, Seattle WA 98122-4340
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 206-296-6000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.seattleu.edu/
  Program Name
  Systems Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering, Other
  Length
  Less than one year
  Award Level
  Post-master's certificate, Postbaccalaureate certificate
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Seattle Campus
  1400 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle WA 98195-4550
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 206-543-2100
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.washington.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, Other
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Forest Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree, Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Nanotechnology
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Systems Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Manufacturing Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
  1900 Commerce St, Tacoma WA 98402-3100
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 253-692-4400
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/
  Program Name
  Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• Washington State University
  French Administration Building, Pullman WA 99164-5910
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 509-335-3564
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://wsu.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering Science
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship
  Save
  Program Name
  Nanotechnology
  Length
  Less than one year
  Award Level
  Postbaccalaureate certificate
  Save

  ---

• Western Washington University
  516 High Street, Bellingham WA 98225-9008
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 360-650-3000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://wwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Manufacturing Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Whitman College
  345 Boyer Ave, Walla Walla WA 99362
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-527-5111
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.whitman.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

125080/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

60.14/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

4,670

Yearly Projected Openings

350

Personality

Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:

• Innovation
• Achievement Orientation
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Cautiousness
• Attention to Detail
• Dependability

Tools

• Ammeters
• Analytical balances
• Bench refractometers or polarimeters
• Binocular light compound microscopes
• Calibrated resistance measuring equipment
• Capacitance meters
• Chemical or gas sterilizers
• Clock timers
• Drying cabinets or ovens
• Electrogravimetry analyzers
• Electronic measuring probes
• Fume hoods or cupboards
• Heated walk in environmental or growth chambers
• Hydraulic press frames
• Impedance meters
• Infrared spectrometers
• Isolation glove boxes
• Laboratory evaporators
• Laboratory hotplates
• Laboratory safety furnaces
• Level generators
• Modulation meters
• Multimeters
• Network analyzers
• Oscilloscopes
• Personal computers
• Scanning electron microscopes
• Scanning probe microscopes
• Semiconductor process systems
• Semiconductor testers
• Signal generators
• Spectrometers
• Spectrophotometers
• Surface tension measuring instruments
• Surface testers
• Temperature cycling chambers or thermal cyclers
• Thickness measuring devices
• Tube furnaces
• Tumblers or polishers
• Ultra pure water systems
• Vibration testers
• X ray diffraction equipment
• pH meters

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Computer aided design CAD software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Development environment software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• File versioning software
• Graphics or photo imaging software
• Industrial control software
• Internet browser software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Program testing software
• Project management software
• Requirements analysis and system architecture software
• Spreadsheet software
• Web page creation and editing software
• Web platform development software
• Word processing software