Electrical Grade Germanium Wafers

university wafer substrates

Germanium Lowest Dislocation

A PhD Chemistry requested a quote for the following.

I'm contacting you for a request about Ge wafers. We have very strict requirements about the Ge wafer features. I'd need Ge wafers with the lowest possible amount of dislocations (EPD<10) , purity is not a concern in this case. On the contrary, a low electrical resistance should be advisable (< 1 ohm-cm). The orientation is another major critical point: we need <111> crystals, with a very low orientation tolerance (possibly 0.5°).

he diameter should be 100 mm, the thickness 1 mm. Is it possible for you to provide this type of crystals?

Reference #101282 for specs and pricing.

Get your Electrical Grade Germanium (Ge) Quote FAST! Buy online and start researching today!





Germanium Wafers With HIgher Seeback Coefficient

A postdoc requested a quote for the following.

We are interested in some doped germanium wafer for our experiment. If possible, could you please let me know what kind of doped-germanium wafer you have? 

The electrical resistivity looks good to me for this
p-type germanium, but we prefer n-type germanium wafer as it has higher Seebeck coefficient. Do you have any in stock? 

Reference #109569 for specs and pricing.

Germanium Applications

An Electrical Engineering PhD candidate requested a quote for the following.

Scroll down to learn more about how Ge can help your research.

I would like to get a price quote for 5 electrical grade Germanium
wafers (GEV4100U). In addition to that, I would like to get a price quot for two 4inch SOI <100> wafers.

Do you also have Germanium on Insulator (GOI) wafers?

Reference #90161 for specs and pricing.

Electrical Contacts on Germanium

A chemistry research scientist requested a quote for the follwoing.

Does university wafer or any company you know of put back contacts on wafers? We are specifically interested in electrical contacts on Ge.

We want gold back contacts with good electrical conductivity on n-GaAs, p-GaAs, and Ge wafers.

Could you give me some detail as to the techniques you use to apply the contact? We would like to apply a 10nm Ti adhesion layer and on top of that a 100nm Au layer. The wafers need to be chemically etched before application of the contact, is this possible? the wafers are 2 inches in diameter. how many wafers can you do at a time?

UniversityWafer, Inc. Quoted:

Normally we make Ohmic contacts to n-type GaAs by Electron Beam Evaporation. We use a special target of an alloy of Germanium and Gold, designed for this purpose. Then we do Rapid Thermal Annealing to diffuse the alloy into GaAs. We do not use a Ti adhesion layer as one would on Silicon. Some suggest that a thin layer of Nickel promotes the bond to GaAs and lowers contact resistance but we have no experience with that. We do at least 5 of 2" wafers at a time.

Reference #139306 for specs and pricing.

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Electrical Germanium Substrates Inventory

We have both electrical grade and optical grade germanium wafers in stock. Sizes range from < 10mm High-purity 2-inch germanium wafer on a white background, showing smooth reflective surface and circular shape.square to 150mm.

Below are just some of the germanium wafers that we have in stock. If you don't see what you need please email use your spec for pricing and delivery.


Item Dia (mm) Typ/Dop Ori Res ohm-cm Thk (μm) Pol
2477 50.8 N/Sb (100) 0.01-0.02 500 SSP
2478 50.8 Undoped (100) >50 500 SSP
2479 50.8 Undoped (100) >50 500 DSP
2480 50.8 N/Sb (110) 0.35-0.4 500 SSP
2481 50.8 Undoped (111) >50 500 SSP
2482 50.8 P/Ga (100) 1-10 500 SSP
2575 50.8 P/B (100) 0.01-0.1 500 SSP
1927 100mm P/Ga <100> 6° towards <111> ± 0.5° 0.01-0.05 175 SSP
1928 150mm P/Ga <100> 6° towards <111> ± 0.5° Epi ready 0.008-0.

What are Electrical Grade Germanium Wafers?

Electrical grade germanium wafers are high-purity single-crystal wafers specifically manufactured for electronic and semiconductor applications where excellent electrical characteristics are required. These wafers are distinct from optical-grade germanium, which is used in infrared (IR) optics and photonics.

🔍 Key Features of Electrical Grade Germanium Wafers:

Property Description
Purity Typically > 6N (99.9999%) to 8N (99.999999%) for minimal impurities.
Crystal Orientation Commonly <100> or <111> depending on application needs.
Doping Can be n-type (usually doped with phosphorus, antimony) or p-type (boron or gallium), depending on desired conductivity. Intrinsic (undoped) options also available.
Resistivity Precisely controlled; low resistivity (~0.001–10 ohm·cm) for active electronics, or high for detector applications.
Surface Finish Double-side polished (DSP) for photodetectors and FETs, or single-side polished (SSP) for simpler device layers.

⚙️ Applications of Electrical Grade Germanium:

  1. Infrared Detectors – Ge’s narrow bandgap (~0.67 eV) makes it ideal for detecting mid-IR radiation.

  2. High-Efficiency Solar Cells – Especially in multijunction space solar cells as a bottom layer.

  3. High-Speed Electronics – Germanium-on-insulator (GeOI) devices, high-mobility transistors.

  4. Thermal Imaging Sensors – Used in military and industrial monitoring systems.

  5. Semiconductor Research – As a model substrate for studying quantum effects or developing Si-Ge heterostructures.

Application

Brief Description

Image

Infrared (IR) Detectors & Sensors

Germanium wafers are used to fabricate infrared photodetectors sensitive to mid-IR wavelengths, ideal for space and thermal sensing.

infrared sensor lens used in IR detection devices, showcasing red and purple optical glass

Multijunction High-Efficiency Solar Cells

Germanium serves as a substrate for multi-junction solar cells in satellites, maximizing energy conversion efficiency.

blue solar cell array with reflected sunlight, illustrating multijunction photovoltaic technology

High-Speed Transistors (GeFETs)

GeFETs leverage high electron mobility in germanium to enable ultra-fast switching and low power consumption in modern electronics.

high-speed GeFET transistor on a semiconductor circuit board with bonded gold wires.

Thermal Imaging & Night Vision Devices

Thermal and night vision systems use germanium optics and detectors for clear imaging in total darkness or adverse environments.

Modern thermal imaging monocular with glowing orange lens representing heat signature detection.

Semiconductor Device & Material Research

High-purity germanium substrates enable advanced research in new semiconductor devices, material characterization, and fabrication methods.

Semiconductor wafer under test with precision probe station and oscilloscope in a research lab environment

Quantum Computing Prototypes

Germanium is explored for quantum applications due to its favorable band structure and compatibility with CMOS technologies.

Quantum computing prototype setup with dilution refrigerator and copper wiring connected to a PCB

 

🧪 Why Use Electrical Grade vs. Optical Grade?

Property Electrical Grade Optical Grade
Focus Electrical conductivity & dopant control IR transparency and optical performance
Use Case Transistors, diodes, solar cells IR lenses, windows, and prisms
Doping Precisely doped or intrinsic Usually undoped
Purity Higher purity and tighter specs Still high, but optimized for optical clarity

🏢 Who Uses Electrical Grade Germanium Wafers?

  • Semiconductor device engineers

  • Infrared detector manufacturers

  • Solar energy researchers

  • Government and aerospace labs

  • Quantum computing research teams

If you're looking to source electrical-grade germanium wafers, UniversityWafer, Inc. offers a range of diameters, thicknesses, and doping types tailored to research and commercial applications.