Runs and improves the photolithography step in chipmaking, using scanners that print circuit patterns onto silicon wafers with light. BLS does not publish separate figures for photonics engineers; it counts them within photonics engineer (SOC 17-2199), whose median pay is $122,930 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 17-2199
- Architecture and Engineering
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Lithography Engineer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $122,930a year, or $59.10/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $67KTop 10% $190K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.7%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.7%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.7% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 8,800166,700 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025166.7K
- Projected 2035173K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 166.7K Projected 2035 173K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Associate's4.8%
- Bachelor's52.4%
- Master's38.1%
- Doctorate4.8%
Highest education held by photonics engineers Segment Value Associate's 4.8% Bachelor's 52.4% Master's 38.1% Doctorate 4.8%
Also advertised as: Photolithography Engineer, Photolithography Process Engineer, Lithography Process Engineer, EUV Lithography Engineer, Litho Engineer.
Pay
How much do Photonics Engineers make?
Every lithography engineer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$122,930
Middle half earn $90,970 to $158,090
- 10th
- $66,810
- 25th
- $90,970
- 75th
- $158,090
- 90th
- $189,950
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $66,810 |
| 25th | $90,970 |
| Median | $122,930 |
| 75th | $158,090 |
| 90th | $189,950 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $122,930
- Median hourly wage
- $59.10/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $125,330
- People employed
- 154,070
Versus all US occupations
At $122,930, Photonics Engineers earn 141% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $71,950 a year.
Versus architecture and engineering occupations
Inside the Architecture and Engineering group, where the middle occupation pays $104,110, this is 18% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $189,950 or more while the bottom 10% earn $66,810, a gap of 2.8×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 85% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
New Mexico pays the most at $162,070, and still leads at $175,758 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Photonics Engineers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1New Mexico | $162,070 | $175,758 | 2,190 |
| 2Alabama | $152,550 | $171,746 | 3,460 |
| 3District of Columbia | $151,920 | $138,234 | 3,560 |
| 4Virginia | $148,160 | $146,542 | 5,060 |
| 5Alaska | $142,390 | $139,108 | 200 |
| 6Washington | $134,570 | $125,751 | 3,580 |
| 7Colorado | $132,590 | $128,663 | 2,540 |
| 8New Jersey | $132,450 | $121,732 | 4,540 |
| 9Massachusetts | $131,260 | $124,115 | 2,850 |
| 10Idaho | $130,970 | $137,150 | 560 |
Job outlook
Is Lithography Engineer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.7% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Photonics Engineers | +3.7% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Photonics Engineers to change 3.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 6,200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 8,800 openings are projected each year, 5.3% of the 166,700 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Lithography Engineer
A degree in physics, optics, electrical, chemical or materials engineering is typical, and many lithography engineers hold a master's or doctorate, especially in research and development. Courses in optics and semiconductor processing are especially useful.
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, hosts the main advanced lithography conference, and SEMI supports industry training. New engineers learn on the job in the fab, often starting in process or equipment roles before specializing. Familiarity with metrology tools, optical modeling and statistical process control speeds the learning curve.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as photonics engineers.
- Bachelor's Degree52.4%
- Master's Degree38.1%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree4.8%
- Doctoral Degree4.8%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 52.4% |
| Master's Degree | 38.1% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 4.8% |
| Doctoral Degree | 4.8% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Lithography Engineer do?
Lithography engineers own the most precise step in making a chip. Scanners project circuit patterns from a mask onto light-sensitive resist on the wafer, using deep ultraviolet or extreme ultraviolet light. The engineer controls focus, exposure dose and overlay so each new layer lines up with the ones below it.
They tune recipes, analyze metrology data, solve defect and patterning problems, and work with mask, resist and equipment specialists. Some lithography engineers work for tool makers, supporting scanners at customer fabs or designing optics and control systems.
Day-to-day tasks
- Control focus, dose and overlay on lithography scanners
- Develop exposure and resist process recipes
- Analyze critical dimension and overlay metrology data
- Troubleshoot patterning defects
- Qualify new masks, resists and scanner upgrades
- Work with equipment engineers on scanner performance
- Support transfer of new chip designs into production
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Lithography engineers work in fab offices and cleanrooms, wearing full gowns in yellow-lit lithography bays. Fabs operate continuously, so on-call duty is common. Tool maker engineers travel to customer sites. Lithography bays use yellow lighting to protect light-sensitive materials, and engineers spend part of each day in gowns and part in data review. Major tool issues can mean urgent calls at any hour.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.9
- Active Listening3.8
- Speaking3.6
- Mathematics3.6
- Active Learning3.6
- Science3.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Speaking | 3.6 |
| Mathematics | 3.6 |
| Active Learning | 3.6 |
| Science | 3.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4
- Operations Analysis3.3
- Technology Design3.3
- Systems Analysis3.1
- Systems Evaluation3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Instructing3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.3 |
| Technology Design | 3.3 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.1 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Geographic information system · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Process mapping and design software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Lithography Engineer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRC) built on O*NET's Photonics Engineer profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Lithography Engineer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 6 |
| Artistic | 3 |
| Social | 1 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative5.9
- Realistic5.9
- Conventional4.2
- Artistic2.8
- Enterprising1.7
- Social1.4
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Lithography Engineer
O*NET related occupations
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologist and Technician
$78,190median a year
Most earn $50K to $116K
+2.4%Associate's
More architecture and engineering careers
Median annual pay, with photonics engineers highlighted
- Aerospace Engineer$134,960
- Lithography Engineer$122,930
- Electrical Engineer$120,630
- Environmental Engineer$107,110
- Mechanical Engineer$104,110
- Automotive Engineer$104,110
- Industrial Engineer$102,440
- Civil Engineer$100,840
- Architect$99,280
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineer | $134,960 |
| Lithography Engineer | $122,930 |
| Electrical Engineer | $120,630 |
| Environmental Engineer | $107,110 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $104,110 |
| Automotive Engineer | $104,110 |
| Industrial Engineer | $102,440 |
| Civil Engineer | $100,840 |
| Architect | $99,280 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Lithography Engineer appears on
Questions
Lithography Engineer: frequently asked questions
How much do Photonics Engineers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for photonics engineers. It counts them within photonics engineer, whose median pay is $122,930 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $90,970 and $158,090, and the top 10% earn $189,950 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Lithography Engineer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Photonics Engineers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 52.4% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Lithography Engineer a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.7% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 8,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Lithography Engineer do?
Lithography engineers own the most precise step in making a chip. A typical task: control focus, dose and overlay on lithography scanners. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Computer aided design CAD software, Development environment software.
Which states pay Photonics Engineers the most?
The highest state medians for Photonics Engineers are New Mexico ($162,070), Alabama ($152,550), District of Columbia ($151,920) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Lithography Engineer?
O*NET scores Photonics Engineers highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTP, INTJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.