Supply-chain input · Component
Infrared optics
Lenses and windows for thermal cameras, often made from germanium.
HighComponent
Producers
0
0 consumers tracked
Needed by
0
0 technologies · 0 products
Trade controls
0
None recorded
Constraint
Why supply is constrained
High
Germanium lenses and windows depend on a germanium supply led by China, which banned germanium exports to the US in December 2024 (now suspended to November 2026). Chalcogenide glass is a partial substitute.
Dependencies
Upstream · needs · 1
This input
Infrared optics
High
Downstream · needed by · 0
Nothing downstream recorded.
Upstream: what this input is made from or processed with. Downstream: what is made from it.
Sources1
- 1Government recordMineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Germanium
U.S. Geological Survey · Supports Input
“China continued to be the leading global producer and exporter of germanium metal in 2024.”
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