Features and Applications

  • Automobiles

    Motors are required for hybrid and electric vehicles, and because of their strong magnetic properties, rare earth magnets are widely used for thease motors.
    In gasoline-powered vehicles, rare earths are used for oxygen sensors that control the air-fuel ratio to improve fuel efficiency and exhaust gas, and various ceramic parts for lightweight and tough vehicle bodies.

  • Semiconductors

    There is a process that uses plasma and etching gas in a manufacturing process of semiconductor.
    Rare earths are used for a coating material of a manufacturing apparatus to protect it from plasma and gas.

  • Medical field

    Rare earths are used for a scintillator light emitting element in diagnostic imaging equipment such as CTs and PETs, and as a magnetic material in MRIs.

  • LED phosphor

    Rare earths are used for the phosphor that converts the LED emission color into various colors. It is applied to lighting and displays.

  • Multilayer ceramic capacitors

    Rare earths are used for high-tech electronic devices such as smartphones, automobile safety devices, and electronic components that are indispensable for autonomous driving.

  • Optical fiber

    Optical fiber, which is one of the core infrastructures supporting IT, is used to transmit large amounts of data over long distances.

  • Catalyst

    Rare earths are used in a catalyst of oil refining, pharmaceutical synthesis, tire rubber synthesis, etc.

  • Lens

    When rare earths are added to a lens such as a camera, the refractive index is improved and it achieves a thinner lens.

  • Sintering aid

    It is increasingly used as a sintering aid for the purpose of increasing strength, changing the melting point, etc.