Chemical element with physical properties similar to silicon , used especially in semiconductor devices.
Discovered in 1886, germanium became economically significant after 1945, when its semiconductor properties were put to use in electronics. It remains of primary importance in the manufacture of transistors and of components for other devices such as rectifiers and photocells. It is also used as a component of alloys, in phosphors for fluorescent lamps, and in the glasses of certain optical components, such as camera and microscope lenses.