FRANKFURT, July 11 (Reuters) - China's planned export controls on gallium have caused frantic stockpiling of speciality semiconductor wafers made from the metal, according to the world's largest gallium buyer. Freiberger Compound Materials relies almost entirely on Chinese suppliers for its gallium needs to make wafers that go into mobile phone radio signal amplifiers and optical electronics. Chinese gallium companies have driven most rivals elsewhere out of the market by undercutting them on price over the last decade. Harz said his Chinese suppliers were providing authorities with data needed to obtain export licences. Harz does not believe that China will disrupt gallium trade flows over the next few years because that would quickly damage its own electronics industry.

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Persons: There's, Michael Harz, Ludwig Burger, Matt Scuffham, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, Japan's Sumitomo Electric, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, East Germany, Harz, China, United States