Rare Earth Metals and Semiconductor
- [The Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements - Wikipedia]
- Rare Earth Elements
The rare earth elements (REE) are all metals, and the group is often referred to as the "rare earth metals." These metals have many similar properties, and that often causes them to be found together in geologic deposits. They are also referred to as "rare earth oxides" because many of them are typically sold as oxide compounds.
Rare earth elements (REE) are an essential part of many high-tech devices. They are necessary components of more than 200 products across a wide range of applications, especially high-tech consumer products, such as cellular telephones, computer hard drives, electric and hybrid vehicles, and flat-screen monitors and televisions. Significant defense applications include electronic displays, guidance systems, lasers, and radar and sonar systems.
Although the amount of REE used in a product may not be a significant part of that product by weight, value, or volume, the REE can be necessary for the device to function. For example, magnets made of REE often represent only a small fraction of the total weight, but without them, the spindle motors and voice coils of desktops and laptops would not be possible.
- Light Rare Earth and Heavy Rare Earth Elements
The rare earth elements are often subdivided into "Heavy Rare Earths" and "Light Rare Earths" according to different electronic layer structures, physical and chemical properties, as well as symbiosis in minerals. Lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, and samarium are the "light rare earths." Yttrium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium.
- Rare Earth Metals and The Semiconductor Industry
The rare earth elements (REE) are a set of seventeen metallic elements. These include the fifteen lanthanides on the periodic table plus scandium and yttrium. Rare earth elements are an essential part of many high-tech devices.
Rare-earth elements (REE) are necessary components of more than 200 products across a wide range of applications, especially high-tech consumer products, such as cellular telephones, computer hard drives, electric and hybrid vehicles, and flat-screen monitors and televisions. Significant defense applications include electronic displays, guidance systems, lasers, and radar and sonar systems. Although the amount of REE used in a product may not be a significant part of that product by weight, value, or volume, the REE can be necessary for the device to function. For example, magnets made of REE often represent only a small fraction of the total weight, but without them, the spindle motors and voice coils of desktops and laptops would not be possible.
in 2008, China accounted for more than 90 percent of world production of REEs, and by 2011, China accounted for 97 percent of world production. Semiconductor manufacturing depends on substances known as rare earth metals. These materials play an integral role in the manufacturing of most electronic devices. China has nearly monopolized the production of these metals. However, because of US-China trade disputes, the prices for these metals have risen.
Inevitably, these rising prices also impact each subsequent step in the semiconductor supply chain. Only time will show the long-term impact for semiconductor industry leaders going forward.
