Germanium

Germanium (Ge) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years

Germanium’s research intensity stands at about 32% of its own all-time peak, a level that has remained essentially flat over the last decade.

Research intensity ran from about 33% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 32% in 2026 — essentially flat across the window, and the all-time peak (1967) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements held steady. Among the 118 elements, germanium has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element held roughly level from about 12,591 in 2016 to about 15,162 in 2025. That is slower than the literature as a whole grew over the same years, so the element lost ground in the wider body of research.

The core of germanium’s recent literature is anchored in Silicon-Germanium Quantum Devices and Laser-Structured Surfaces. This community focuses on germanium quantum wells and SiGe heterostructures, where germanium is central to the work—about 42% of its papers involve the element. Its share of germanium research has held steady at about 16%. Key work includes a 2023 study on silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors, cited over 320 times, and a 2022 two-qubit silicon quantum processor, cited over 340 times.

A second major area is Germanium Photodetectors and Strained Silicon Photonics. Here, research centers on germanium photodetectors and mid-infrared waveguides, distinguishing this work from broader lithium niobate optics. Germanium is a minor presence in this larger community, appearing in about 6% of its papers, though it accounts for about 12% of germanium’s own research. This share has remained steady. Notable contributions include a 2021 ultra-fast germanium photodiode, cited over 340 times, and a 2024 terahertz sensing study, cited over 240 times.

The third material community is Germanene Electronic Properties in Two-Dimensional Materials, which investigates the electronic behavior of germanene nanoribbons and nanosheets. Germanium is a minor player here, involved in about 3% of the community’s papers. However, its share of germanium research has declined from about 11% to about 6% over the window. This community is anchored by a 2019 modeling platform paper, cited over 1,800 times, and a 2020 review on two-dimensional materials, cited over 500 times.

Overall, the composition of germanium research has shifted slightly: the quantum devices and photonics communities have held their ground, while the two-dimensional materials sector has lost share to the remainder of the field, which now comprises about 66% of the element’s clustered research.

For a deeper look at the current state of germanium research, see the Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.