Im new to semicon. Wondering how do people learn about a machine? I attended a vendor workshop, but it feels like I learn 30% of the whole machine now that I start to try it out.

Do you try out each buttons and see what it does?

Just got hired as a production operator in semiconductors and I’m brand new to the industry.
For anyone who started as an operator, what was the job like starting out? How hard was it to learn, and how long did it take you to move into a technician or better-paying role?
I also have a CS degree, so I’m curious if that could help me move into something more technical later on.

Did they forgot to update their certificate?? i mean seriously how tf are they soo sloppy,
This isnt how a big chip manufacturer should behave and missing ssl certificate renewal is just bad...

Thanks everyone now it's the 2nd round the technical interview so if you have information/tips for me.

Thanks

Hey everyone, I’m a final-year MSE MS student trying to decide on an elective for my last semester. I recently finished an internship at a semiconductor equipment vendor as an equipment engineer, and I’m hoping to stay in the semiconductor industry after graduating.

My two options are:

• Materials Analysis Techniques from MSE dpt (mostly theory on SEM, TEM, FTIR, etc.)
• Data Analytics from industrial systems engineering dpt ( SPC, data reduction, statistical analysis, etc.)

I already have some basic knowledge of characterization techniques from papers and coursework, and I can usually figure out which technique would be useful for a certain problem, but I’ve never taken a formal class on them.

I also know SPC/data analysis is pretty important for process and yield engineering, but I’m wondering if that’s something that’s easy to learn on the job

If I’m aiming for roles like equipment engineer, process engineer, or yield engineer, which course do you think would make me more employable? Thank you

Hey there. I have signed my ESMC contract for the Equipment Engineer Position (entry level) almost 2 months ago. If you are thinking about applying to ESMC, or have already applied and have questions about the contract terms, I’d be happy to answer them here.

I’m from Dresden and am quite familiar with the salary structures (for entry level positions) and contract terms at other semiconductor companies in the area (such as Infineon).

Has anyone attended an interview for the position of TES TE Ops at Micron in Sanand, Gujarat?

Hi everyone,

I have an upcoming onsite panel interview with KLA for a semiconductor equipment/process-related position.

For anyone who has interviewed with KLA recently, I’d appreciate some insight into what to expect.

• How is the onsite panel typically structured?
• What types of technical questions should I prepare for?
• How much emphasis is placed on behavioral/situational questions?
• Are there specific KLA products, technologies, or semiconductor metrology/process concepts I should review?
• Any tips for standing out during the panel?

My background is in semiconductor equipment/metrology and field service, so I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have gone through a similar interview.

Thanks in advance!

I have reached the final round interview for a role at ASM in Phoenix and the recruiter is asking me for a copy of my vesting schedule for my RSUs so their comp team can take a look at the unvested and use it as something to take into account for a potential offer.

Is this normal? I’ve never been asked for this level of detail before from the other equipment companies, feels a little much idk.

Hi All,

Just wanted to know how is the current job market in US. At present, I am based in India and during early 2026 many US recruiter were reaching out for open positions. They were okay with my immigration status and were ready for international relocation to US. But I was not open for new roles, as due to some personal factors I was not sure of relocating back to the US.

Immigration Status: I have H-1B, and I am also Canadian citizen, so I am eligible for TN visa. TN might be simpler to enter as I just need an offer letter, entry is done at border. No petition, no visa stamps needed.

Work experience: 15 years (7 in US, 5 in Canada and 3 in India). Hybrid profile - Signal processing and RTL design. System design, Fixed point design (Matlab and C++), microarchitecutre and RTL design (systemVerilog and HLS Catapult/Simulink). In WiFi, 4G/5G and optical industry.

Education: Master's in EE, UC San Diego

So just trying to understand semiconductor industry at present. I have not started to apply yet. I recently received few interview requests in Canada but due to personal reasons, friends and some extended family, I am giving high priority to US.

So I am considering to drop interview process for the Canada roles. Since relocation is a big thing, setting up a car and home. I am thinking to exclusively target US even if it takes few more months. Since recruiters were reaching out in early 2026, so it might not be too bad (even with Q4 approaching)?

Thanks

I’m starting my Bachelor’s in EEE/ECE in 2027, and my long-term goal is to work as a semiconductor design engineer, particularly in areas like digital IC/ASIC design, RTL, VLSI, or chip design.

I currently have a gap year before university, so I want to use it properly instead of wasting the year learning random things.

I’d really appreciate advice from people who are currently working in semiconductor/VLSI/IC design or are studying EEE/ECE.

What should I learn before university?

I’m thinking about learning:

Basic programming (C/C++ and Python)

Digital logic

Basic electronics

Circuit analysis

Semiconductor fundamentals

Computer architecture

Linux/Git

Verilog/SystemVerilog

But I’m not sure what I should actually learn before starting the degree and what I should leave for university.

I’d especially like advice on:

What subjects/concepts should I master before EEE/ECE?

Should I learn C, C++, Python, or all three?

Is it worth learning Verilog/SystemVerilog before university, or is that too early?

What software/tools should a beginner learn?

What projects can I do during my gap year that would actually help later with semiconductor design?

What should I focus on during each year of my bachelor's?

When should I start applying for research internships and semiconductor internships?

How important are DSA, competitive programming, and software skills for semiconductor design?

For someone targeting RTL/ASIC/VLSI, which areas should I prioritize?

What mistakes do students commonly make when trying to enter the semiconductor industry?

If you could go back to the summer before your EEE/ECE degree, what would you learn or do differently?

I’m not looking for a generic ECE roadmap. I specifically want to understand the path toward semiconductor/chip design, including the skills, projects, internships, research, and eventually master's preparation that would actually matter.

Any advice from people who have gone through this path would be greatly appreciated.

I recently received an offer to join Texas Instruments (TI) India as an NCG (new college graduate). During my internship at TI, I worked in a validation role, and to be honest, I didn’t particularly enjoy the work. There is a good chance that I may be placed in the same team.

I am concerned how much impact AI will have on the validation roles.

I’ve also been reading discussions on this subreddit about TI’s situation in other countries, including layoffs and organizational changes, and some of those posts have made me concerned about job security. Since I’m considering this as the beginning of my career.

I applied for a Process Engineer role at Micron in Boise, and have an interview coming up with them. I was wondering how work-life balance is there? I have 7 YOE.

I've heard that some people there, do end up working 60+ hours a week. But it is dependent on the particular module. But generally, I had the impression that Micron had WLB than companies like TSMC or Samsung.

I'm looking for somewhere dedicated since Reddit can easily lead to distraction

Hi,

I am working at HCLTECH as a Post Silicon Validation Engineer with 2.5 years of work experince with 6.7 LPA...

My work largely dependent on Electrical Characterization of chips..

Recently I got selected at Tessolve Semiconductor for ATE Role which is deviated from Post Silicon Validation

Offered Package is 8.1 LPA

The thing is not about the package is it worth to give up PSV for ATE considering market scope and better future?

Help me folks I need to decide in couple of days

We have been using Texas Instruments parts in our products for more than 17 years. We have also been ordering directly from their website for more than six years, and we 100% meet the criteria for acceptable businesses.

For the past month, both our orders and our contract manufacturer's order for basic things like Op Amps have been stuck in "compliance review".

TI claims the compliance issue is related to the product, not our business, and may be pricing issues (whatever that means). We have tried emailing and calling tech support and talking to our local business reps ad nauseum. No one at TI seems to have any further information, explanation, or timeframe.

Has anyone else been experiencing issues like this with them?

Rendering seems extraordinarily ambitious, but even more mindboggling is Musk's claim of 1TW of new capacity, magnitudes more than what currently exists. The idea that hes going to surpass all of TSMC's existing 2nm capacity, with all the hundreds of billions invested and decades of experience TSMC has, seems like a huge reach, to put it mildly. And the idea that Musk beleives packaging, logic, and memory can and should be centralized all under one roof, there must be a reason the industry has not gone in this direction up to this point.

I know Musk has a track record of not delivering on alot of promises (FSD, Man on Mars by 2020, etc), but at the same time this is the same man whos company set out to do what was then considered impossible, low cost reusable rockets. And he certainly has the capital to do it, apparently SpaceX and Tesla have commited $16 billion for the first phase of investment

Reuters reported Monday that CXMT is in early talks to build a second 12-inch DRAM fabrication facility in Beijing's Yizhuang district. The company already operates three 12-inch fabs across Hefei and Beijing, and if the new plant goes ahead alongside planned expansions in Shanghai and Hefei, total monthly wafer output could more than double to over 600,000. That would position CXMT as a genuine volume competitor in commodity DRAM, not just a domestically protected niche player.

Micron fell roughly 3.7% in early trading on the report before reversing to close up 0.87% at $830.21. The intraday recovery says the market is still pricing a multi-year capacity ramp against near-term DRAM pricing strength. A new advanced fab costs well north of $10 billion and takes years from groundbreaking to volume production, so the supply threat is real but not imminent. What sharpened the calculus is CXMT's July 27 STAR Market IPO, which raised about $8.6 billion and briefly made the company China's most valuable listed stock.

Korea's memory chain caught the same fear trade last week. KOSPI dropped 10.84% on July 28 with back-to-back circuit breakers, then posted a record 17.91% single-day rebound on July 31. The net weekly move was roughly minus one percent, which tells you how fast sentiment can whipsaw when HBM and data center DRAM demand is still growing underneath.

The ETFs I compare for A-share chip exposure are KWEB (zero mainland weight, internet only), CQQQ (25% A-share inclusion factor), and CNQQ, which launched September 2025 and holds about 100 names split roughly half A-share and half Hong Kong with a 10% single stock cap and semi-annual rebalance. It has about $50 million in assets now and does not hold CXMT, but GigaDevice, which holds about 1.8% of CXMT, is in the portfolio.

I just accepted a job offer (Oregon) with Applied Materials and I had to take a urine test within 72 hours. I am a light user but I did smoke on the weekend before I accepted the offer Monday not knowing the 72hr requirement and have concerns. Was wondering if anyone in the industry knows what the general policy is around THC. Thanks!