Working in the semiconductor field?

[arachnotron]

Hi all,

I'm a math major about to take the plunge into EE in hopes to work in the semiconductor industry (hopefully working on CPUs, GPUs, etc.). I have math degree, so mathematically challenging aspects of things don't scare me too much.

However, I have a question about how working in the field is on a day-to-day basis. As a math major, I was exposed to lots of advanced mathematics and lots of clever problem solving, and lots of open questions in a lot of different fields.

My questions are:

1. What are the "day to day" problems that Electronics engineers solve? Is engineering problem solving very "creative" like solving a challenging mathematical problem? Or are the problems more...routine?

2. What are the "big" challenges in the semiconductor field that are as of yet insurmountable, and what are the obstacles that keep these issues from being solved?

3. How much physics should I know? What fields of physics should I know stone-cold?

4. Any other advice you can offer?

Regards,
--Arachnotron

 

[reddvoid]

to work in semiconductor R&D you should thorough knowledge of device fabrication, packaging and all,and should have good knowledge about semiconductor physics.