The major end uses of germanium are in support of the telecommunications industry. It is used as dopant in telecom glass fibre and as semiconductor substrate for the solar arrays of telecommunication satellites. Other applications of germanium are CPV solar systems, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), gamma-ray detectors, infrared-optics, micro-electronics and polymerization catalysts. More recently it also found use in the production of nanowires.
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