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Xizang Rocks Yield High-Purity Quartz for Chip Making
10 Jun
Summary
- Chinese scientists found a potential high-purity quartz source in Xizang.
- This scarce mineral is crucial for semiconductors and advanced technology.
- Discovery aims to reduce China's reliance on imported strategic materials.
Scientists in China have pinpointed a promising source of high-purity quartz within the Xizang autonomous region. This rare mineral is indispensable for the production of semiconductors, optoelectronics, and aerospace technologies. The finding represents a crucial advancement in China's strategy to decrease its reliance on foreign sources for this vital commodity.
The research, conducted by a team from the University of Science and Technology of China, focused on leucogranites in Dinggye, southern Xizang. Analysis revealed these rocks can be purified to achieve a silicon dioxide content exceeding 99.995 percent, meeting the industry standard for high-purity quartz.
High-purity quartz, valued for its thermal stability and electrical insulation properties, is notoriously difficult to purify. Despite global resource scarcity and uneven distribution, China, a major producer of solar panels and semiconductors, is the largest importer of this material.
Recent explorations have uncovered deposits in other Chinese regions, including Henan and Xinjiang, yielding purities of at least 99.995 percent. The Xizang discovery extends this exploration into the Himalayan belt, identifying quartz crystallized under cooler conditions that limit impurities, making purification more feasible.
Purified quartz sands from Xizang samples achieved purities of 99.9969 percent and 99.9959 percent. While promising, residual lithium and titanium levels are higher than the US-based IOTA standard, indicating that further purification process optimization is needed.
