As the major supplier China tightens its export policy, rare earth materials have become increasingly rare - in fact, China's rare earth exports have been cut by one-third. According to Dudley Kingsnorth, executive director of Industrial Minerals Co. of Australia, in a media report, prices have soared as rare earth production can only respond to 40% of market demand outside China.
“The price of rare earths has not risen so much,†said Mike Pugh, chief operating officer of phosphor supplier Intematix. “For example, the price of europium rose more than twice in three weeks in June this year. “At present, the United States, Canada, and Australia are all developing strategies for the development of rare earth mineral deposits outside China, including new mines in Russia and Malaysia. However, these new sources may not be able to effectively reduce the shortage of rare earths within three years.
As the prices of bulk goods and prices have soared, manufacturers who need rare earth metals will have to find alternatives to rare earths if they do not consider moving production sites to China.
Rare earths are important components of slurries required for various products that require mechanical planarization, such as glass and semiconductor wafers. Chip makers are trying to replace rare earths with other minerals such as silicates, but the ones who feel the deepest about the supply shortage of rare earths are those who supply fluorescent products for fluorescent bulbs, white LEDs and other products.
For example, Intematix is ​​currently adopting a “two-pronged†strategy to deal with the shortage of land. On the one hand, the company has shifted some of its production to China and has also developed alternatives to fluorescent agents in the United States. “With the production of aluminate and garnet phosphors in China, we can buy rare earth materials locally;†Pugh said: “In the U.S., we're working with nitride and silicate phosphors. For production, these products require only a very small amount of rare earth."
Intematix manufactures aluminate (green) and garnet (yellow) phosphors in China to avoid the ban on the export of rare earths from China; however, rare earths use less nitride (red) and silicate (orange, orange) fluorescence The agent is still producing nitride and silicate phosphors in the United States. It can be used in conventional fluorescent and white LED applications to replace rare earths and garnet phosphors with large amounts of rare earths. It can also avoid the shortage of rare earths, but the cost is very high. High; For example, the price of nitride fluorescent agent is more than three times that of traditional aluminate and garnet phosphors, but the latter two are heavily doped with rare earth materials. “The price of nitride phosphors can be frightening,†Pugh said. “But once you understand how small, they are actually very affordable.â€
An optimistic aspect of the shortage of rare earth supply is expected to accelerate the promotion of solid-state lighting technology; because fluorescent lamps require much less fluorescent light than fluorescent lamps, they can also use green silicate phosphors with red A yellow nitride phosphor is mixed into the blue LED to produce white light, so that only a very small amount of rare earth is used. The nitride fluorescent agent is particularly durable and can be placed close to the semiconductor interface of the blue LED to further reduce the material required for producing white light.
“The price of rare earths has not risen so much,†said Mike Pugh, chief operating officer of phosphor supplier Intematix. “For example, the price of europium rose more than twice in three weeks in June this year. “At present, the United States, Canada, and Australia are all developing strategies for the development of rare earth mineral deposits outside China, including new mines in Russia and Malaysia. However, these new sources may not be able to effectively reduce the shortage of rare earths within three years.
As the prices of bulk goods and prices have soared, manufacturers who need rare earth metals will have to find alternatives to rare earths if they do not consider moving production sites to China.
Rare earths are important components of slurries required for various products that require mechanical planarization, such as glass and semiconductor wafers. Chip makers are trying to replace rare earths with other minerals such as silicates, but the ones who feel the deepest about the supply shortage of rare earths are those who supply fluorescent products for fluorescent bulbs, white LEDs and other products.
For example, Intematix is ​​currently adopting a “two-pronged†strategy to deal with the shortage of land. On the one hand, the company has shifted some of its production to China and has also developed alternatives to fluorescent agents in the United States. “With the production of aluminate and garnet phosphors in China, we can buy rare earth materials locally;†Pugh said: “In the U.S., we're working with nitride and silicate phosphors. For production, these products require only a very small amount of rare earth."
Intematix manufactures aluminate (green) and garnet (yellow) phosphors in China to avoid the ban on the export of rare earths from China; however, rare earths use less nitride (red) and silicate (orange, orange) fluorescence The agent is still producing nitride and silicate phosphors in the United States. It can be used in conventional fluorescent and white LED applications to replace rare earths and garnet phosphors with large amounts of rare earths. It can also avoid the shortage of rare earths, but the cost is very high. High; For example, the price of nitride fluorescent agent is more than three times that of traditional aluminate and garnet phosphors, but the latter two are heavily doped with rare earth materials. “The price of nitride phosphors can be frightening,†Pugh said. “But once you understand how small, they are actually very affordable.â€
An optimistic aspect of the shortage of rare earth supply is expected to accelerate the promotion of solid-state lighting technology; because fluorescent lamps require much less fluorescent light than fluorescent lamps, they can also use green silicate phosphors with red A yellow nitride phosphor is mixed into the blue LED to produce white light, so that only a very small amount of rare earth is used. The nitride fluorescent agent is particularly durable and can be placed close to the semiconductor interface of the blue LED to further reduce the material required for producing white light.
Guangpu Electronics Co., Ltd , http://www.fjledlight.com