GEA Geothermal Energy Expo 2014

Last month Tekmos traveled to exhibit at another high temperature conference. This time it was the GEA Geothermal Energy Expo 2014 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. The expo is billed as "the world's largest gathering of vendors providing support for geothermal resource exploration, characterization, development, production and management." Since the folks from Tekmos have spent most of their careers involved with microelectronics, it was fascinating to talk with the attendees and vendors who manufacture and use the massive equipment associated with the geothermal industry. Even though the exploration for and harnessing of geothermal energy makes use of equipment that is thousands of times bigger than our microelectronic circuitry, many pieces of equipment cannot function without the much smaller electronic components like those that Tekmos designs and manufactures.

The expo gave us a chance to talk in depth with various equipment vendors about the performance and electrical characteristics they need most when choosing components for their new products. We were again reminded of the need to listen carefully and to clarify terms. Some of the vendors at the Expo talked about their requirement for maximum operating temperatures of 300 degrees without mentioning they were speaking in degrees Fahrenheit. Others at the conference needed 250 degrees operating temperature, without mentioning they were speaking in degrees Celsius, the units generally used in the electronics industry. The 300 degrees Fahrenheit, about 150 degrees Celsius, is pretty straight forward for Tekmos using standard bulk silicon technology but 250 degrees Celsius will require our SOI processing.

This second high temperature conference of the year for Tekmos yielded a number of new contacts as well as a chance to visit with other customers that we have known for some time. We also received a number of inquiries about our standard products where the high temperatures are not required. There were even some inquiries about Tekmos supplying parts that are going obsolete by the original vendors. While this has been a major focus of Tekmos throughout its 17 year history, we were a little surprised since our focus at this geothermal conference was "Hot Chips", our relatively recent thrust into the high temperature market.

As we often do, we also took some time to visit a local attraction. We had a tasty lunch at a great Chinese restaurant suggested to us by a local who thought we looked lost as we got off the light rail. We were primed for our visit to Portland's Lan Su Chinese Garden, the most authentic Suzhou-style Chinese garden outside China. Its name is poetically interpreted as "Garden of Awakening Orchids." It was assembled by 65 Chinese artisans who spent 10 months assembling and completing structures that were crafted in China. From the Hall of Brocade Clouds, past the Scholars Courtyard, to the Tower of Cosmic Reflections, the Garden is a sea of tranquility near center of the bustling city of Portland. It was a welcome period of peace and quiet between our travel to Portland and our manning the booth at the Geothermal Expo.