Photonics Technicians

Overview

Photonics Technicians has a national median salary of $78,350 per year, with +2.8% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

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

Work Values

• Achievement
• Support
• Relationships

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Compute or record photonic test data.
• Maintain clean working environments, according to clean room standards.
• Adjust or maintain equipment, such as lasers, laser systems, microscopes, oscilloscopes, pulse generators, power meters, beam analyzers, or energy measurement devices.
• Assemble fiber optical, optoelectronic, or free-space optics components, subcomponents, assemblies, or subassemblies.
• Optimize photonic process parameters by making prototype or production devices.

Work Activities

• Getting Information
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Working with Computers
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Processing Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Detailed Work Activities

• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a bachelor's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Bachelor's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for an associate's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Photonics Technicians:

Video Resources