A project typically starts with creating schematics and physical layouts for a MEMS component, then running simulation and modeling software to evaluate its cost, performance, and manufacturability before committing to a design. Engineers also run failure, reliability, and yield analyses on existing designs, maintain formal documentation like bills of materials and specifications, and propose new MEMS-based product concepts based on market or customer needs. The work is almost entirely team-based and highly structured, since a MEMS device goes through formal engineering review before it ever reaches manufacturing, and it typically requires a master's degree or PhD in electrical engineering.
Pros
Very high earning potential, up to nearly $190k at the top of the range
Over 9,300 positions nationwide with modest but positive projected growth (2.1%)
Cutting-edge, R&D-driven work designing microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
Cons
Requires a master's degree or PhD in electrical engineering, a long and costly educational path
Above-average hours, often more than a standard 40-hour week
Niche specialization (semiconductor/MEMS industry) means fewer employers than broader engineering fields
A typical day
Morning starts in the cleanroom, gowned head to toe, checking a wafer batch that finished etching overnight — under the microscope, features a few microns wide either match the design or reveal where the process drifted. Back at a desk, simulation software gets the next design iteration: tweaking a cantilever's geometry so a pressure sensor flexes exactly as intended. A midday meeting with the fabrication team negotiates what the process can actually build versus what the model wants. The afternoon is testing packaged devices on a probe station, logging which design variants survived, and updating the mask layout before the next fab run.
Tasks at the job
Create schematics and physical layouts of integrated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) components or packaged assemblies consistent with process, functional, or package constraints.
Investigate characteristics such as cost, performance, or process capability of potential microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device designs, using simulation or modeling software.
Create or maintain formal engineering documents, such as schematics, bills of materials, components or materials specifications, or packaging requirements.
Conduct analyses addressing issues such as failure, reliability, or yield improvement.
Plan or schedule engineering research or development projects involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
Propose product designs involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, considering market data or customer requirements.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting.
You're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. The work is highly structured, following set procedures. Almost all of the work is done as part of a team.
Education necessary or common
Master's degree or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in electrical engineering or a related field