Will “Photonics Technicians” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

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Job Description

Build, install, test, or maintain optical or fiber optic equipment, such as lasers, lenses, or mirrors, using spectrometers, interferometers, or related equipment.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 17-3029.08

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Photonics Technicians”

Fabricate devices, such as optoelectronic or semiconductor devices.
Monitor mechanical factors, such as turbine load or strain information.
Terminate, cure, polish, or test fiber cables with mechanical connectors.
Test or perform failure analysis for optomechanical or optoelectrical products, according to test plans.
Recommend optical or optic equipment design or material changes to reduce costs or processing times.
Compute or record photonic test data.
Maintain clean working environments, according to clean room standards.
Design, build, or modify fixtures used to assemble parts.
Mix, pour, or use processing chemicals or gases according to safety standards or established operating procedures.
Set up or operate prototype or test apparatus, such as control consoles, collimators, recording equipment, or cables.
Build prototype optomechanical devices for use in equipment such as aerial cameras, gun sights, or telescopes.
Splice fibers, using fusion splicing or other techniques.
Fabricate sensors to be used to control wind turbines.
Develop solar power sources for lasers used in fiber optics.
Lay out cutting lines for machining, using drafting tools.
Repair or calibrate products, such as surgical lasers.
Monitor inventory levels and order supplies as necessary.
Assist engineers in the development of new products, fixtures, tools, or processes.
Assemble components of energy-efficient optical communications systems involving photonic switches, optical backplanes, or optoelectronic interfaces.
Document procedures, such as calibration of optical or fiber optic equipment.
Assemble devices or equipment to be used in green technology applications, including solar energy, high efficiency solid state lighting, energy management, smart buildings, or green processes.
Perform laser seam welding, heat treatment, or hard facing operations.
Optimize photonic process parameters by making prototype or production devices.
Set up or operate assembly or processing equipment, such as lasers, cameras, die bonders, wire bonders, dispensers, reflow ovens, soldering irons, die shears, wire pull testers, temperature or humidity chambers, or optical spectrum analyzers.
Assemble or adjust parts or related electrical units of prototypes to prepare for testing.
Assemble fiber optical, optoelectronic, or free-space optics components, subcomponents, assemblies, or subassemblies.
Assist scientists or engineers in the conduct of photonic experiments.
Perform diagnostic analyses of processing steps, using analytical or metrological tools, such as microscopy, profilometry, or ellipsometry devices.
Adjust or maintain equipment, such as lasers, laser systems, microscopes, oscilloscopes, pulse generators, power meters, beam analyzers, or energy measurement devices.
Build photonics tools to be applied to electrical grids to detect hot spots, such as failing insulators or conductors.

Related Technology & Tools

Abrasive grinding machines
Fire extinguishers
Laboratory forceps
Excimer lasers
Diffractometers
Micrometers
Electron cyclotron resonance ECR reactive ion etchers RIE
Common path interferometers
Spectrometers
Liquid dye lasers
Wire pull testers
Magnifiers
Fiber polishers
Lab jacks
Logic pulsers
Spherometers
Mach-Zehnder interferometers
Electron beam evaporators
Depth gauges
Hand calculators
Analog oscilloscopes
Bit error rate testers BERT
Photoelectric power meters
Digital logic analyzers
Signal generators
Phase-shifting interferometers
Optical spectrum analyzers
Fabry-Perot interferometers
Fiber optic fault locators
Computerized numerical control CNC drill presses
Solid state lasers
Monochromators
Laser welders
Ion lasers
Reflow ovens
Spectrophotometers
Multifunction digital multimeters
Vacuum deposition systems
Semiconductor parameter analyzers
Isolators
Protective gowns
Sputter deposition systems
Collimators
Bench refractometers
Digital logic probes
Coordinate measuring machines CMM
Twyman-Green interferometers
Laser heat treatment equipment
Wavelength meters
Optical mounts
Laser drills
Laser cutting machines
Mechanical steppers
Soldering irons
Semiconductor detectors
Contact profilometers
Die bonders
Optical comparators
Micropositioners
Fusion splicers
Calipers
Temperature chambers
Binocular light compound microscopes
Chemical protective face shields
Protective gloves
Humidity chambers
Positioning stages
Personal computers
Computerized numerical control CNC band saws
Autocollimators
Non contact profilometers
Dataloggers
Oscilloscopes
Michelson interferometers
Optical power meters
Gas lasers
Hardness testers
Wire saws
Rapid thermal annealers RTA
Plasma strippers
Computerized numerical control CNC machining centers
Vernier micrometers
Safety glasses
Die shears
Scanning electron microscopes SEM
Optical rails
Fiber cleavers
Chemical vapor deposition CVD systems
Shearing interferometers
Biosafety cabinets
Ellipsometers
Wafer bonding systems
Diode lasers
Die saws
Wire bonders
Atomic force microscopes AFM
Cutoff saws
Laser marking machines
Loupes
Digital oscilloscopes
Optical alignment scopes
Computerized numerical control CNC lathes

Presentation software
Word processing software
Computer aided design CAD software
Microsoft Office
Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
SAP
Statistical analysis software
Microsoft Excel
The MathWorks MATLAB
Database software
ZEMAX Optical Design Program
Image processing software
Web browser software
Data acquisition software