Department of Natural Resources and Mines
Geological Survey of Queensland
Gallium opportunities in Queensland
September 2014
What is gallium?
Gallium is a chemical element with symbol Ga and atomic
number 31. Elemental gallium does not occur in the free
form in nature, but as gallium(III) compounds that are in
trace amounts in zinc ores and in bauxite. Gallium is a soft
silvery metal that is a brittle solid at low temperatures. If
it is held in the human hand long enough gallium will melt,
because its melting point is 29.76°C (85.57°F), slightly
above room temperature. The melting point of gallium is
used as a temperature reference point. The alloy galinstan
(68.5% gallium, 21.5% indium and 10% tin) has an even
lower melting point of −19°C (−2°F), well below the freezing
point of water. After its discovery in 1875 through to the era
of semiconductors, gallium was used primarily as an agent
to make alloys that melt at low temperatures. Since then,
gallium has become useful in semiconductors, including use
as a dopant.
Why gallium is considered ‘critical’
Globally, most primary gallium is recovered as a byproduct
of processing bauxite and zinc ores. As such it is considered
as ‘at risk’ because its supply is dependent on prices of other
commodities.
Because of the large power-handling capabilities, highswitching frequencies, and higher voltage capabilities of
gallium nitride (GaN) technology, GaN-based products,
which historically have been used in defence and military
applications, are gaining acceptance in cable television
transmission, commercial wireless infrastructure, power
electronics, and satellite markets. The GaN power device
market is forecast to increase at an average annual growth
rate of nearly 29%, to reach $178 million in 2015. Together
with a predicted growth in the use of gallium arsenide (GaAs)
in semiconductors, the future usage of the metal is predicted
to outstrip supply.
Driven by demand for electronics, particularly flat panel
displays and smart phones, consumption of gallium has
grown by an estimated 5–10% per annum over the last 10
years. Yet over the same period, the market price for 99.90%
gallium has fallen roughly 30%.
How do we use gallium?
About 66% of the gallium consumed in the USA is used
in integrated circuits (ICs). Optoelectronic devices, which
include light-emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes, photodetectors, and solar cells, represent 20% of gallium demand.
The remaining 14% is used in research and development,
specialty alloys, and other applications. Optoelectronic
devices are used in areas such as aerospace, consumer
goods, industrial equipment, medical equipment, and
telecommunications. ICs are used in defence applications,
high-performance computers, and telecommunications.
Smartphones: Global demand for GaAs- and GaN-based
products increased in 2013. GaAs demand, while still driven
mainly by mobile telephones and other high-speed wireless
applications, increased because of the growth of featurerich, application-intensive, third- and fourth-generation
“smartphones” which employ up to 10 times the amount of
GaAs as standard mobile handsets. Smartphones accounted
for approximately 40% of all mobile telephone sales in
2013. Due to the rise of GaAs content in smartphones and
increased penetration of GaAs-based LEDs in general lighting
and automotive applications, the GaAs substrate market
was forecast to increase at an average annual growth rate of
nearly 11%, increasing to $650 million by 2017 from $390
million in 2012. The GaAs device market was anticipated to
increase at an average rate of 3.2% per year to $6.1 billion by
2016 from $5.2 billion in 2011 (USGS).
LEDs: LEDs are durable and save energy. Incandescent light
bulbs are now banned in the EU, whereas energy-saving
fluorescent lamps remain a bone of contention. In 2016, use
of halogen bulbs over 10 watts will be discontinued as well.
LEDs therefore have the best chance of becoming the light
source of the future. Experts predict that LED retrofit lamps
for use in standard bulb fittings will overtake traditional
energy-saving bulbs from 2015. By 2020 it is predicted that
LEDs will have captured between 88 and 90 per cent of the
lighting market. They offer a host of advantages as the most
environmentally friendly source of light—they contain no
harmful substances, consume less energy and, with a lifetime
of 15,000–30,000 hours, last longer than conventional light
sources. They also work at full brightness as soon as they are
switched on.
A weakness of LEDs is that they are extremely sensitive to
variations and spikes in power. To function properly, they
need a driver that ensures a constant supply of power at all
times. This driver, which takes the alternating current from
the grid and converts it into direct current with a reduced
voltage, has a profound influence on the light yield and
lifetime of the LED lamp. The demands placed on the driver
electronics are correspondingly high. This has prompted
researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State
Physics IAF in Freiburg to focus their attention on voltage
transformers featuring GaN transistors, and they found that
the drivers developed using this new semiconductor material
were extremely robust. Components made of GaN can
operate at higher currents, voltages and temperatures than
standard silicon transistors.
GaN transistors can also switch at high frequencies. The
switching speed has a significant impact on the size of
the coils and condensers built into the drivers for energy
storage. In a GaN-based driver, the switch speed can be
made as much as a factor of 10 faster than that of its silicon
equivalent. Applied to a smaller surface, this means it is
possible to make switching cheaper. The whole LED lamp
can be made lighter and more compact while delivering the
same or even improved illumination. Since the energy storage
component plays a decisive role in manufacturing costs, this
could have an extremely positive effect on the end price.
While the luminous flux of commercial LED retrofit lamps
featuring silicon components is around 1000 lumen,
researchers from the IAF have been successful in increasing
this to 2090 lumen using GaN-based drivers. With 20 percent
of energy consumption worldwide attributed to lighting,
these savings are particularly worthwhile.
Where is gallium found in Queensland?
Gallium is not produced in Queensland. Because it is not an
element that is usually assayed for, its actual distribution
is not known. Although it is commonly found in association
with zinc mineralisation and bauxite it is not separated from
either commodity. Gallium is known to occur with antimony
in quartz veins at the Missant deposit near Irvinebank, where
the claim holder reported up to 5 ppm Ga. Potential exists for
gallium mineralisation associated with other Sb-Au deposits
in the Hodgkinson Province of north Queensland.
Exploration potential in Queensland
Because gallium occurs with zinc and bauxite mineralisation,
both of which occur in Queensland, its abundance in these
ores should be investigated as it is likely to become critical in
the next few years.
Further reading
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/
gallium/index.html#mcs
Further information
GSQ hotline
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +61 7 3006 4666
Geological Survey of Queensland
Level 12, 61 Mary St Brisbane Qld 4000
www.dnrm.qld.gov.au
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Produced by Publication Graphics SGS, Geological Survey of Queensland September 2014.
© State of Queensland (Department of Natural Resources and Mines) 2014.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en
Produced by Spatial and Graphic Services, Geological Survey of Queensland
© The State of Queensland (Department of Natural Resources and Mines) 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en
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