Will “Photonics Technicians” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Unknown Chance of Automation

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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”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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