Tungsten (CN)

Full briefing

Tungsten is a dense, hard transition metal with the highest melting point of any element (3,422°C). It is mined primarily from wolframite and scheelite ores, and China controls roughly 80% of global mining output and an even higher share of processing into intermediate products such as ammonium paratungstate (APT) and tungsten powder. In semiconductor fabrication, tungsten's primary role is as a contact and via fill metal in CMOS logic. At advanced nodes, tungsten hexafluoride (WF₆) is the precursor gas used in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to fill the narrow vertical contacts that connect transistors in the silicon substrate to the first metal interconnect layer (M0 or local interconnect). Tungsten's high melting point, low resistivity at contact dimensions, and compatibility with silicon processing make it nearly irreplaceable for this application. Applied Materials is the dominant supplier of W-CVD process tools; every major logic foundry — TSMC, Samsung, Intel — uses Applied Materials W-CVD systems. Tungsten is also used extensively in the hard-facing and tooling that semiconductor equipment manufacturers use in precision mechanical components, and in X-ray shielding within certain metrology and inspection systems. China's control over tungsten is reinforced by export licensing requirements introduced as part of its broader critical-mineral control strategy. Unlike gallium and germanium — where the 2023 controls were explicitly linked to semiconductor supply chains — tungsten's export controls have a longer history, dating back to China's general regulation of strategic minerals. Japan, South Korea, and Austria (via Plansee Group) are among the non-Chinese producers working to expand capacity, but China's cost advantage in APT processing remains substantial.