(Yicai Global) July 4 -- The Chinese subsidiary of AXT, a leading US manufacturer of semiconductor wafers, is applying to Chinese authorities for permission to continue to export gallium and germanium substrate after the Chinese government suddenly imposed export restrictions on the two metals that are key to the chipmaking process.

“We are actively pursuing the necessary permits and are working to minimize any potential disruption to our customers,” Morris Young, chief executive officer of the California-based company, said yesterday, after China’s Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs said the same day that the country will limit the export of gallium and germanium from August to protect national security interests.

Beijing Tongmei Xtal Technology, AXT’s main China unit, makes high-performance compound and single-element semiconductor substrate wafers comprising indium phosphide, gallium arsenide and germanium.

Both gallium and germanium have been included in China's strategic mineral list. The country exported 89.3 tons of gallium in the first 11 months last year, a jump of 44.1 percent year on year, according to customs' data.

Editor: Kim Taylor