The Schwabe Holding (part of Rostec State Corporation) has launched industrial production of ultra-pure germanium tetrachloride (GeCl₄) at the Krasnoyarsk-based enterprise "Germanium". This material, with a purity of 99.9999%, is essential for manufacturing high-quality optical fiber used in telecommunications, including connecting data centers (DDCs).
Until now, Russian optical fiber manufacturers have depended on imported GeCl₄, as domestic counterparts did not meet the required purity standards. The new technological process, developed by specialists at the "Germanium" enterprise, includes multi-stage purification, which has reduced the impurity content to a minimum level. Investments in the project amounted to 328 million rubles, of which 222 million rubles were provided by the Industrial Development Fund (IDF) in the form of a concessional loan.
Germanium tetrachloride is used in the creation of preforms — blanks from which optical fiber is drawn. The higher the purity of the substance, the better the signal transmission characteristics: less loss and higher speed. This is critical for modern communication networks, including trunk lines and 5G infrastructure.
The development of industrial production of ultra-pure germanium tetrachloride is being carried out by Schwabe as part of a comprehensive import substitution program. The introduction of modern equipment and the technological process developed by Krasnoyarsk specialists allows us to create high-quality materials. They are in demand both in the Russian market and abroad. The launch of the new high-purity product is not only a step towards technological sovereignty, but also an increase in our global competitiveness.
After reaching full capacity (2 tons per year), the enterprise will be able to fully meet the needs of Russian optical fiber manufacturers. The main consumers will be companies producing preforms and fiber optic cables.
Previously, the enterprise already produced germanium tetrachloride, but it did not meet the increased requirements for impurity content and could not be used in the production of optical fiber.
In addition, the development of high-purity GeCl₄ production is necessary for creating 5G infrastructure in Russia, as modern networks require optical fiber with improved parameters.
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