Germanium is required as a dopant for the core of fibre-optic cables. It therefore plays a key role in the global expansion of fibre-optic networks, as well as in fibre-optic-guided drones, which have been deployed on a large scale since the war in Ukraine. Another important area of application is infrared optics, where crystalline germanium is processed into infrared-transparent glass and lenses. These are required for the manufacture of night-vision devices and thermal imaging cameras.
Another major consumer is the plastics industry, which uses the raw material in oxide form as a polymerisation catalyst. The metal is also used as a semiconductor in electronics and photovoltaics.
