Export Controls Re-Sharpen the Optics Industry’s Focus on Alternate Materials
China’s recently issued export controls on two rare-earth metals, gallium (Ga) and germanium (Ge), have intensified the scrutiny of the global supply chain for these materials. The Chinese directives mandate that its domestic exporters must now obtain a license to distribute the metals across international borders.
Both materials are needed to make alloys and compounds, which are vital to the production of semiconductor chips, optics, laser diodes, and other components.
State-ordered restrictive action is hardly unfamiliar in the highly complex and ongoing global struggle for...Read full article
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