Most semiconductor engineers work in manufacturing. Many semiconductor manufacturing plants are environmentally clean, to prevent contamination of the wafers during the manufacturing process. Semiconductor engineers must be willing to work in clean environments and at times to wear anti-contamination gear when entering the manufacturing area of the plant.
Depending on the exact needs of the company, a semiconductor engineer might work with computer-generated designing, blueprint development, or testing of actual semiconductor parts, including the etching machines. While the etching machines are designed by someone other than the semiconductor engineers, the engineers are responsible for choosing machine settings and troubleshooting any problems.