The production technical barriers of germane (hydrogenated germanium) are high and my country has huge room for import substitution.

Germanium hydride, the molecular formula is GeH4, also known as germane and germanium tetrahydride. Under normal temperature and pressure, germane appears as a colorless gas, has an unpleasant pungent odor, and is toxic. Germane is stable at room temperature, but will decompose at high temperatures. It is insoluble in water, slightly soluble in hot concentrated sulfuric acid, soluble in hypochlorous acid, decomposed by nitric acid, and flammable. There is an explosion hazard when mixed with air and oxygen. Germane is an important electron gas.

The preparation process of germane mainly includes: germanium chloride reduction method, using germanium chloride (GeCl4) and metal hydride as raw materials, and reacting in anhydrous organic solvent; using germanium dioxide, sodium hydride/potassium hydride as raw materials, The crude product is obtained by reacting in hydrobromic acid and then distilled and purified; it is obtained by reacting germanium-magnesium alloy and hydrochloric acid as raw materials; it is obtained by electrolyzing germanium oxide under concentrated sulfuric acid.

Germanium is an important semiconductor material that has both metallic and non-metallic properties. It has the advantages of low resistance, no thermal radiation, and low power consumption. Germane can basically be completely decomposed into germanium and hydrogen at around 350°C, and can be used to produce high-purity germanium. It is one of the best ways to produce high-purity germanium and can be used in semiconductors, integrated circuits, displays, communications, solar energy and other industries. middle. In the semiconductor industry, germane can be used to deposit silicon germanium films on silicon wafers using the MOCVD process. Heterojunction diode transistors made from this material have excellent speed and frequency response.

According to the “2021-2025 Germanium Hydrogenated Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report” released by the Industrial Research Center It shows that in the semiconductor gas market, germane’s share accounts for about 3.2%. In 2020, the global semiconductor gas market size is approximately 23.6 billion yuan, and the germane market size is approximately 760 million yuan. Germanium has outstanding performance advantages. As the technology of the semiconductor industry continues to upgrade and new electronic products continue to come out, the market demand for materials with excellent performance continues to grow, which is beneficial to the development of the germane industry. At the same time, with the advent of the 5G era, the high carrier mobility and flexible energy band width of silicon germanium materials have led to rapid growth in demand in the communications field, further driving the expansion of the germane market.

In the global market, French Air Liquide acquired the American company Voltaix in 2013, becoming the world’s largest supplier of germane. Germane, especially high-purity germane, has high technical barriers. In 2015 and before, my country’s demand for high-purity germane for semiconductors relied entirely on imports. The import price was high and supply was unstable, which was not conducive to the development of my country’s semiconductor industry. In 2016, Perma Pure Materials achieved mass production of germane, breaking the monopoly of the domestic market by foreign companies. In 2019, Walter Co., Ltd. raised investment in a 10 tons/year germane production capacity project, and my country’s germane production capacity has gradually expanded.

Industry analysts People in our country said that there are still companies such as Taihe Gas and Zhonghuan Equipment in the germane market, but their production capacity is small or It has not yet been put into production. The actual annual domestic output of germane is small, and demand is still highly dependent on external sources. Germane is used in large amounts in semiconductor and other industries, and its products have high added value, which can bring huge profits to enterprises; at the same time, the international political and economic situation is volatile, and key materials are dependent on imports, which has increased the development risks of my country’s semiconductor industry. Under these two factors, there is huge room for domestic substitution of germane in my country.