'Silicon can be a less-expensive substitute for germanium in certain electronic applications,' according to USGS. In some applications, gallium in arsenide wafers can replaced by silicon or indium, according to USGS. They also produce less noise than silicon devices, especially at high operating frequencies, making them useful in radars and radio communication devices, satellites and LEDs, Wafer World says. Semiconductor wafers made with gallium arsenide rather than silicon can operate at higher frequencies and are heat resistant, according to U.S. It is also important for low-carbon technologies such as solar cells. The metal and its oxides are used in military applications like night-vision devices as well as satellite imagery sensors.

Germanium is key to fibre optic cables and also used in high-speed computer chips and plastics as well as infrared radiation. The metals are used in high-speed computer chips and in the defence and renewable energy sectors. U.S.-based Indium Corporation also produces germanium, while Belgium's Umicore (UMI.BR) makes both germanium and gallium. After prices rallied in 20, Germany announced that it would restart primary gallium production.Ĭanada's Teck Resources (TECKb.TO) is the biggest germanium producer in North America, extracting the material from its Trail smelter in British Columbia. Germany and Kazakhstan also produced it in the past. Small amounts of primary gallium - around 10 metric tons in 2021 - are produced by Japan, Russia and South Korea, according to USGS, while additional amounts also come from recycled material.

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