text:
US 5436452 A Abstract An uncooled infrared tunneling sensor in which the only moving part is a diaphragm which is deflected into contact with a micromachined silicon tip electrode prepared by a novel lithographic process. Similarly prepared deflection electrodes employ electrostatic force to control the deflection of a silicon nitride, flat diaphragm membrane. The diaphragm exhibits a high resonant frequency which reduces the sensor's sensitivity to vibration. A high bandwidth feedback circuit controls the tunneling current by adjusting the deflection voltage to maintain a constant deflection of the membrane. The resulting infrared sensor can be miniaturized to pixel dimensions smaller than 100 μm. An alternative embodiment is implemented using a corrugated membrane to permit large deflection without complicated clamping and high deflection voltages. The alternative embodiment also employs a pinhole aperture in a membrane to accommodate environmental temperature variation and a sealed chamber to eliminate environmental contamination of the tunneling electrodes and undesireable accoustic coupling to the sensor.
Claims(19) 1. An infrared sensor comprising:
an enclosed chamber; a gas in said chamber; a metal coated corrugated silicon nitride membrane forming a deflectable wall of said enclosed chamber; a metal coated silicon tip within tunneling distance of said membrane for establishing a tunneling current therebetween depending upon said distance; at least one electrode in spaced, opposing proximity to said membrane for electrostatically controlling the deflection of said membrane; and a feedback circuit connected to said electrode for generating a servo feedback voltage for maintaining the deflection of said membrane irrespective of the level of infrared radiation incident upon said chamber, the variations in said servo feedback voltage being proportional to the variations in the level of infrared radiation incident upon said chamber. 2. The infrared sensor recited in claim 1 wherein said membrane is coated with gold.
3. The infrared sensor recited in claim 1 wherein said tip is coated with gold.
4. The infrared sensor recited in claim 1 wherein said membrane is coated with a layer of adhesion material, a layer of barrier material and a layer of metal.
5. The infrared sensor recited in claim 4 wherein said adhesion material is titanium.
6. The infrared sensor recited in claim 4 wherein said barrier material is platinum.
7. The infrared sensor recited in claim 4 wherein said metal is gold.
8. The infrared sensor recited in claim 1 wherein said tip is coated with a layer of adhesion material, a layer of barrier material and a layer of metal.
9. The infrared sensor recited in claim 8 wherein said adhesion material is titanium.
10. The infrared sensor recited in claim 8 wherein said barrier material is platinum.
11. The infrared sensor recited in claim 8 wherein said metal is gold.
12. The infrared sensor recited in claim 1 wherein said gas is air and wherein said chamber comprises an aperture of selected size, said aperture permitting limited air movement into and out of said chamber to compensate for environmental temperature variations.
13. The infrared sensor recited in claim 1 wherein said gas is xenon and wherein said chamber comprises an aperture of selected size, said aperture permitting limited xenon movement into and out of said chamber to compensate for environmental temperature variations.
14. In a tunneling infrared sensor of the type having a deflectable membrane forming a wall of an enclosed gas-filled chamber and an electrode tip for establishing a tunneling current dependent upon the deflection of said membrane in response to incident infrared radiation; the improvement comprising:
corrugation in said membrane; at least one deflection electrode positioned in spaced relation to said membrane for electrostatically controlling the deflection of said membrane; and a feedback circuit connected between said tip and said electrode and responsive to said tunneling current for maintaining the deflection of said membrane within a selected range irrespective of the level of incident infrared radiation, 15. The improvement recited in claim 14 wherein said feedback circuit produces a voltage at said deflection electrode, the magnitude of variations in said voltage being proportional to the magnitude of variations in infrared radiation incident upon the sensor.
16. The improvement recited in claim 15 wherein said feedback circuit has a bandwidth of at least 50 kHz.
17. The improvement recited in claim 15 wherein said feedback circuit comprises:
a resistor network to generate bias and reference voltages; a load resistor in series between said tip and ground; an operational amplifier whose inputs are connected to said tunneling tip and to a reference voltage and whose output is connected through a voltage divider to the deflection electrode and a voltage offset, respectively configured so that the weighted average of the operational amplifier output voltage and the offset voltage are applied to the deflection voltage. 18. The improvement recited in claim 14 wherein said membrane has a mechanical resonance frequency which is at least 10 kHz.
19. An infrared sensor comprising:
a tunneling transducer configured for generating a tunneling current dependent upon the level of incident infrared radiation; said tunneling transducer having a tunneling tip and a deflection membrane; electrostatically controlled deflection means for retaining the deflection of said membrane substantially constant irrespective of said level of said infrared radiation; and a fixed membrane in spaced relation to said deflection membrane and forming a gas-filled chamber therebetween; said fixed membrane having an aperture of selected size for reducing the sensitivity of said sensor to environmental temperature variation. Description The invention described herein was made in the performance of work under a NASA contract, and is subject to the provisions of Public Law 96-517 (35 USC 202) in which the Contractor has elected to retain title. This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/898,682 filed on Jun. 15, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,748 The present invention relates generally to infrared sensors and more specifically to a tunneling transducer having a membrane within tunneling distance of a micromachined tip and having a feedback circuit to electrostatically retain that distance despite infrared energy-induced mechanical forces whereby the feedback circuit provides quantification of incident infrared energy. Instruments for the measurement of infrared radiation are becoming increasingly important for a variety of commercial and non-commercial applications. Research into the development of uncooled sensors with response throughout the infrared spectrum has become particularly important due to the limitations on the operation of cooling systems. Uncooled infrared sensors would have important applications for space-based remote-sensing of thermal sources, night vision, target identification, thermal mapping, event detection, motion detection, and others. The limitations of the performance of the existing uncooled sensors often are the primary constraint to the performance of infrared imaging systems for many applications. As a result, there has been considerable investment in the development of uncooled infrared sensors. A broad assortment of infrared detectors has been developed, over the last 40 years. In most cases, they may be classified as either quantum or thermal detectors, depending upon whether the incoming radiation is converted to excitations which are collected, or is converted to heat and detected through changes in temperature. In general, a quantum detector which operates at detector temperature Td is usually superior to a thermal detector at the same temperature for infrared frequencies: hυ>>kB Td, where h is Planck's constant and kB is Boltzmann's constant. However, for infrared frequencies: hυ<<kB Td, thermal detectors represent the only functional technology. The operation of quantum detectors is limited by the availability of efficient photon conversion mechanisms, while the operation of thermal detectors is limited by the availability of sensitive thermometers. Only thermal infrared sensors operate in the mid-to-far infrared (λ>10 μm) and at room temperature. The pneumatic infrared detector, which was originally developed by Golay, is classified as a thermal detector. Golay's detector consisted of a small cavity filled with gas at room temperature. The cavity is separated from the surroundings by a window and a thin, flexible membrane. The membrane was coated on one side with a thin metallic film, which has significant absorption throughout the infrared spectrum whenever the sheet resistance of the film is approximately half of the impedance of free space. The trapped gas in the Golay cell was heated by contact with the membrane and expanded thermally, which forced the membrane to deflect outward. This deflection is usually detected with optical or capacitive displacement transducers. At present, these detectors are bulky, fragile, difficult to fabricate, and expensive. Nevertheless, they have been widely used, primarily because of their improvement in sensitivity over all other room-temperature detectors in the mid to far infrared range. Attempts to miniaturize the Golay cell for incorporation into focal plane arrays have been unsuccessful because of scaling laws which relate the sensitivity of conventional displacement transducers and their active area. The need for focal-plane arrays of uncooled detectors stimulated the development of pyroelectric detector arrays, the best of which are 5-10 times less sensitive than the Golay cell. With the above considerations in mind, the present invention is based on the development of an improved Golay cell. This new sensor is constructed entirely from micromachined silicon components. To detect the motion of the membrane, the invention uses an electron tunneling displacement transducer. This sensor, like the assemblies used in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), detects electrons which tunnel through the classically forbidden barrier between a tip and a surface. As in the STM, the electron current is exponentially dependent on the separation between the tip and the surface. Through use of the electron tunneling transducer, the scaling laws which have prevented the miniaturization of the Golay cell are avoided. Any new developments in transducer technology that avoid the constraints which relate to the sensitivity and dimensions of classical displacement transducers are very important. The STM, which was invented by G. Binnig and H. Rohrer of IBM Zurich and won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics, is based on the measurement of electron tunnel current between a surface of interest and a sharp tip, while the tip is raster-scanned across the surface. This device is capable of resolving atomic-scale structure on the surface of interest and has enabled many pioneering discoveries of the structure, and behavior of atoms at surfaces. The most important element of STM is the measurement of tunneling current between the tip and substrate. The tunneling current, I, has the following dependence on the separation, s, between a pair of metallic electrodes: ##EQU1## where is the height of the tunneling barrier and V is the bias voltage; V is the small compared to Φ, and α=1.025 (Å-1 eV-1/2 ). For typical values of Φ= 5 eV and s=7 Å, the current varies by nearly an order of magnitude for each 1 Å change in electrode separation. This sensitivity to relative position is superior to that available in all conventional compact transducers. Since tunneling only occurs in regions where the tip is within several Å of the surface, the active area of the sensor is microscopic. The use of electron tunneling as the active element of a displacement transducer for generic sensor purposes has been pioneered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) over the last several years resulting in the construction of a series of proof-of-concept prototypes. These prototypes initially were constructed from a variety of materials, and served to illustrate that, if designed properly, tunneling could be used in a displacement transducer. The present invention comprises an uncooled infrared tunneling sensor in which the only moving part is a membrane which is deflected into contact with a micromachined silicon tip electrode prepared by a novel lithographic process. Similarly prepared deflection electrodes employ electrostatic force to control the deflection of a silicon nitride, flat diaphragm membrane. The membrane exhibits a high resonant frequency which reduces the sensor's sensitivity to vibration. A wide bandwidth feedback circuit controls the tunneling current by adjusting the deflection voltage to maintain a constant deflection of the membrane which would otherwise change deflection depending upon incident infrared radiation. The resulting infrared sensor can meet or exceed the performance of all other broadband, uncooled, infrared sensors and can be miniaturized to pixel dimensions of 100 μm. The technology can be readily implemented as a small-format linear array suitable for commercial and spacecraft applications. One embodiment of the invention is implemented with a number of further improvements which enable simplified fabrication and more routine operation without complicating non-ideal characteristics enountered in earlier embodiments. These improvements include: Use of a corrugated diaphragm to increase flexibility over a larger deflection range; use of a membrane pinhole aperture to eliminate dc-sensitivity of the sensor to environmental temperature variations; and use of a sealed chamber with a silicon wafer as an infrared window to eliminate environmental contamination of the tunneling electrodes and acoustic coupling to the sensor. It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a broadband, uncooled, tunneling infrared sensor which employs an electrostatically stabilized membrane and a feedback circuit to detect infrared radiation. It is an additional object of the invention to provide an uncooled, broadband, tunneling infrared sensor that utilizes a membrane within tunneling distance of a micromachined tip and comprising a feedback circuit to electrostatically retain that distance despite mechanical forces tending to deflect the membrane. It is still an additional object of the invention to provide a tunneling infrared sensor having micromachined silicon components. It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide a tunneling infrared sensor having a mechanical structure including a deflectable membrane wherein the resonant frequency is greater than 30 KHz. It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide a tunneling infrared sensor employing a corrugated silicon nitride membrane to permit large deflections without requiring complicated clamping structures or extremely high deflection voltages to overcome membrane stiffness. It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide a tunneling infrared sensor having lithographically prepared, atomically clean, gold tunneling electrodes. It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide a tunneling infrared sensor that is relatively insensitive to environmental temperature variations. It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide a tunneling infrared sensor which is configured to eliminate environmental contamination of the tunneling electrodes and acoustic coupling to the sensor. The aforementioned objects and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will be more fully understood hereinafter as a result of a detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the following drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a drawing of a tunneling infrared sensor demonstrating the concept of using a tunneling displacement transducer to measure deflection of a membrane driven by infrared-induced expansion of trapped gas; FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating noise sources affecting infrared detector sensitivity; FIG. 3 is a conceptual drawing of a prototype transducer used to demonstrate the concept of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a conceptual drawing of the tunneling infrared sensor of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of the infrared sensor of the invention including a feedback circuit used to control the tunneling transducer; FIG. 6 is a graph of the ratio of measured to reference oscillations in the tunneling current as a function of frequency demonstrating a bandwidth measurement of 50 KHz; FIG. 7 is a graph of the measured phase shift versus frequency during the bandwidth measurement of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a drawing of pattern etching of concentric circular trenches in a silicon substrate forming corrugations in the membrane of the invention; FIG. 9 is a conceptual drawing of an alternative embodiment of the invention illustrating the use of membrane corrugations and a membrane pinhole aperture to improve sensor performance; FIG. 10 is a drawing of an assembled tunneling infrared sensor in accordance with the alternative embodiment; and FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating the assembled sensor of FIG. 10 in a dual in-line electrical package prior to attachment of a silicon window. The present invention utilizes an electron tunneling displacement transducer composed of micro-machined silicon. Micromachining has been used to produce cm-scale components with μm-scale precision. Micromachining offers a favorable fabrication technology because it allows for miniaturization and integration with electronics. This device was designed for incorporation into an infrared de rector and was optimized to make assembly and testing of the IR detector convenient. The relative position of the deflection electrodes in the inventive transducer is controlled through use of electrostatic forces applied between the elements. The electrostatic forces induce deflection of a gold-coated micro-machined silicon nitride membrane. Replacement of conventional piezoelectric actuators with an electrostatic actuator is important for the following reasons: First, the electrostatic actuator is insensitive to thermal drifts and immune to the problems of creep associated with piezoelectric actuators. Second, the response of the electrostatic actuator is a function only of the geometry and mechanical properties of the device, whereas the response of piezoelectric actuators is also dependent on the characteristics of the material, which may not be reproducible between devices or over time. Finally, the electrostatic actuator may be miniaturized more easily because the scaling laws are known exactly, and the fabrication is less complex than for the piezoelectric actuator. Tunneling sensors are fabricated by the following lithographic procedure: Silicon wafers which have already been micromachined to form 30 μm deep recesses with tips are passivated with 1 μm SiO2 using a standard steam oxidation process. These wafers are spin-coated with photoresist, and exposed to a lithographic pattern which is used to define the electrode pattern. After development, which removes the exposed photoresist, the wafers are treated in a plasma of O2, which removes organic residue from the open areas in the photoresist pattern, and sharpens the edge profile of the photoresist. Metal is then deposited on the photoresist-coated wafer. Gold does not adhere well to clean SiO2, so an adhesion layer of another metal is required before the gold is deposited. Typically, chrome is used, because the first chrome layers deposited readily oxidize, and bond well to SiO2, while the last layers are metallic, and bond well to the gold. Unfortunately, chrome can migrate through the gold layer, eventually forming a non-conductive Cr2 O3 layer on the surface. We have experimentally observed the failure of devices due to the appearance of chrome on the surface of the gold tunneling electrodes. After numerous experiments, we have found that a titanium adhesion layer (150 Å), followed by a platinum barrier layer (150 Å), followed by a gold electrode layer (2000 Å) produces atomically clean gold electrodes. The use of a barrier layer has been widely used in industrial applications by others to prevent diffusion of the electrode metal down into GaAs substrates. We are the first to use such a metal system to prepare atomically clean electrodes for tunneling. After deposition of the metal layers, the wafer is submerged in a photoresist dissolving solvent (such as acetone) and agitated ultrasonically. The agitation is required for the solvent to soak under the metal which is deposited on photoresist and lift it off. Finally, the wafers are diced by a standard dicing saw, degreased with TCE, acetone, and methanol, and then treated in plasma of O2 for an extended time. The O2 plasma removes residual hydrocarbons from the gold electrode surfaces. As a result of this process, patterned, clean electrodes are produced which are suitable for use in a miniature tunneling transducer. The electron tunneling displacement transducer described above was designed to be used with an infrared sensor. The design of the other components of the infrared sensor was guided by a calculation of its sensitivity. The response and noise of the prototype electron tunneling infrared de rector are calculated as for a generic thermal detector. It is important to note that this prototype has not been fully optimized to achieve the best possible sensitivity. A cavity of area 0.01 cm2 and thickness 0.015 cm, filled with air at atmospheric pressure is trapped between a pair of silicon wafers, one of which has been etched through to a 0.5 μm thick silicon oxynitride membrane as shown in FIG. 1. The outer surface of the membrane is coated with �100 Å of gold to serve as an electrode for tunneling as well as an efficient absorber of infrared radiation. The heat capacities of the gas, membrane, and gold films sum to C=7.9�10-7 J/K, and the thermal conductances between these elements and the surroundings sum to G=1.9�10-4 W/K. The heat capacity is dominated by the membrane, while the thermal conductance is dominated by conduction through the trapped gas to the window. The mechanical properties of the membrane may be calculated, given its dimensions. The coefficient of motion (change in position per unit change in temperature) of the center of the membrane is approximately 1�10-4 cm/K, assuming that air is an ideal gas at room temperature and pressure. When biased at fixed voltage, the tunneling current has the following dependence on tip-substrate separation: ##EQU2## where Φ is the tunnel barrier height in eV, s is the tip-membrane separation in Å, and β is a conversion factor with a value of 1.025 eV-1/2 Å-1. The combined temperature coefficient (fractional change in current per unit change in temperature) of trapped gas and tunnel sensor is α=(1/I)(∂I/∂T)=2.3�104 /K for Φ=5 eV. This large temperature coefficient is a product of the large thermal expansion of gases at room temperature, and the extreme sensitivity of vacuum tunneling to changes in relative position. For comparison, α for a high performance resistance bolometer is approximately equal to 1. The responsivity of the electron tunneling infrared detector is then given by: ##EQU3## The contributions of several kinds of noise must be considered. For each source, an expression for the square off the Noise Equivalent Power, (NEP)2 appears. The NEP is defined as the signal power that would be detected with a unity signal-to-noise ratio in the presence of a given source of noise. The NEP is an important figure of merit for infrared detectors. The expression for the NEP refers to a bandwidth of 1 Hz. Since the noise sources being considered are broadband, reducing the bandwidth of the measurement (increasing the integration time) is expected to improve the sensitivity. An absorber efficiency of 100% is assumed in this expression. The expression for the NEP of a thermal infrared detector is: ##EQU4## The first term arises due to temperature fluctuations in the trapped gas, the second term is due to shot noise in the tunnel current, and the third term is due to photon noise. In the is expression, k.sub.β is Boltzmann's constants, T is the operating temperature, ω is the modulation frequency., A is the absorbing area of the detector, and σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant. Ideally, photon noise would be the largest term in the expression for the NEP. Noise in amplifiers should not play an important role due to the large transducer sensitivity. Commercial operational amplifiers are readily available that contribute less than the shot noise term to the NEP. A prototype tunneling transducer was fabricated from micromachined silicon and made operational to investigate unexpected noise sources, such as 1/f noise. Over the range of frequencies investigated (2 Hz-10 kHz), all sources of transducer noise were smaller than the expected thermal noise from Equation 4. If one sums these contributions to the noise, and consider the 50% efficiency of the absorber, the predicted NEP of the prototype is 6�10-11 W/√Hz at chopping frequencies below 10 kHz. At frequencies below 10 kHz, the NEP is dominated by thermal fluctuations. At frequencies above 10 kHz, the contribution from shot noise dominates the other sources of noise and degrades the NEP of the detector. The calculated contributions to the NEP of the prototype are plotted as a function of frequency in FIG. 2. A prototype electron tunneling infrared sensor has been fabricated. It is illustrated in FIG. 3. The prototype infrared sensor was made operational and infrared response was observed with a variety of laboratory blackbody sources. A careful calibration was carried out by chopping between 300� K. and 77� K. blackbodies with area 1 cm2 located 10 cm from the sensor. Considering the geometric factors and allowing for atmospheric transmittance from source to sensor, the average modulated signal power at the sensor was 1.6�10-7 W. The signal to noise ratio at the chopping frequency of 10 Hz was measured to be 200/√Hz, so the experimental NEP of the prototype infrared sensor is 8�10-10 W/√Hz. Noise in this prototype was dominated by the sensitivity of the transducer to mechanical vibration. The measured sensitivity of the tunneling infrared sensor is already competitive with the best commercial pyroelectric sensors and can be readily improved by an order of magnitude through the use of an optimized transducer. The prototype tunneling infrared sensor described above was designed to demonstrate the concept of an infrared sensor based on the tunneling displacement transducer. Since it relied upon the first use of a tunneling device made entirely from micromachined silicon, certain characteristics were selected to allow easy operation, instead of optimized sensitivity. With the successful demonstration of this concept, it was appropriate to consider designs that optimize performance. It is important for any infrared sensor to be insensitive to environmental sources of noise. For example, an infrared detector should not be especially sensitive to vibration. As is well known, early STMs were extraordinarily sensitive to vibration, and required the construction of large, complex vibration isolation systems in order to be used. In order to adapt tunneling for use as a transducer for real applications, the sensitivity to vibration, as well as other environmental stimuli, such as temperature and pressure, must be reduced. Since the tunneling infrared sensor is fundamentally a mechanical structure, the sensitivity to vibration is to be eliminated through careful mechanical design. When a mechanical element is subjected to an acceleration at frequencies below its resonance, the amplitude of deflection is inversely proportional to the square of the resonant frequency. Therefore, sensitivity to vibration is best reduced by increasing the resonant frequency of the elements of the transducer. To meet the operational requirements for sensing applications of a tunneling infrared sensor, we have designed a new series of micromachined actuators. These new actuators are important because they are designed to offer resonant frequencies above 10 kHz. The new actuators achieve the higher resonant frequencies primarily through reduction in actuator mass by more than 4 orders of magnitude. As a result, the new actuators have smaller range of deflection (<5 μm), which precludes their use for coarse approach between tunneling electrodes. However, with the use of micromachining techniques, it is possible to assemble sensors with the electrode spacing already within the range of the fine control, thereby accomplishing the coarse approach during assembly. A wide-bandwidth actuator used in the present invention simply consists of a flat diaphragm. These diaphragms are fabricated by coating the front surface of a silicon wafer with low-stress LPCVD silicon nitride. The diaphragms are released by etching square holes through the wafer from the backside with a chemical etchant which does not etch silicon nitride, such as EDP. A drawing of a diaphragm positioned above the tunneling and deflection electrodes is shown in FIG. 5. This device is operated by applying a 150 mV tunneling bias to the tip and grounding the electrode on the membrane. A large voltage is applied to the deflection electrodes, electrostatically attracting the diaphragm down towards the tip. When the membrane is within 10 Å of the tip, a tunnel current of 1 nA appears. The feedback loop compares this current to a reference value and applies an error signal to the deflection electrode, thereby maintaining the position of the diaphragm. If a force is applied to the diaphragm, the feedback loop responds with a balancing force which keeps the diaphragm position fixed. When infrared radiation is absorbed in the sensor, the resulting change in pressure is sensed by the feedback circuit which responds by changing the deflection voltage. The variations in deflection voltage are proportional to variations in absorbed infrared power. For the infrared sensor, the dimensions of the diaphragm are 2�2 mm2 �0.5 μm. The resonant frequency and stiffness are calculated to be 20 kHz and 1 N/m respectively. With the lowest mechanical resonant frequency of the sensor being above 10 kHz, the gain and bandwidth of the electrical circuit used to control the sensor may be substantially larger than that used in typical STMs or in previous tunneling sensors. Because of this, the feedback circuitry used may be simplified. FIG. 5 shows a typical feedback circuit that has been used to control tunneling between a micromachined tip and the diaphragm actuator. A voltage drop across a 10 MOhm resistor in series with the tip occurs whenever tunneling occurs. A low noise FET input operational amplifier in follower configuration is used to lower the source impedance. In this configuration, the output of the first preamplifier never exceeds the range between the bias voltage of 150 mV and ground. We have found this preamplifier configuration to be more stable than other possible circuits, such as virtual ground configuration which drives the preamplifier all the way to the supply voltage in the event of a tip contact. A simple op-amp circuit is then used to compare the preamplifier output with a reference input and generate an error signal. This low-voltage, wide-bandwidth error signal must then be added to a high-voltage, narrow-bandwidth offset to produce the voltage which is applied to the deflection electrodes. The high voltage signal may be generated by a power supply which is periodically adjusted to keep the error signal near zero. A simple high voltage amplifier circuit with very low bandwidth can perform this function as well. These transducers were made operational and routine characterizations were carried out. FIG. 6 shows a measurement of the bandwidth of the transducer. To carry out this measurement, a white noise voltage source is added to the reference input of the feedback loop. The feedback loop responds by generating a corresponding amplified signal with a white noise distribution at the deflection electrode, which causes fluctuations in the position of the diaphragm, as well as fluctuations in the tunneling current. FIG. 6 shows the ratio of the measured fluctuation amplitude to the reference fluctuation amplitude as a function of frequency as recorded by a standard spectrum analyzer. At all frequencies up to 50 kHz, the transducer is able to accurately reproduce the reference current fluctuations. Above 50 kHz, this response begins to roll off because of the bandwidth of the preamplifier. FIG. 7 shows the phase shift between the measured and requested current. This phase shift is less than (5 degrees for frequencies below 10 kHz, and increases to 30 degrees at 50 kHz. At frequencies above 100 kHz, capacitive coupling between the noise source and the transducer begins to contribute to the measurement, as evidenced by the variation in the phase shift at those frequencies. Recent modifications to the design of the tunneling infrared sensor simplify fabrication and operation of the device. These modifications include incorporation of corrugated diaphragms for increased flexibility and lower voltage operation, submicron pinholes for long-term stability, and packaging techniques which allow use of hybrid-integrated circuitry and greatly simplified mounting and testing procedures. With these modifications, the performance has been enhanced to exceed that of all other commercially available uncooled infrared sensors. Operation of these sensors has been simplified to the extent that they have been shipped to non-expert users for routine testing and evaluation at their laboratories. The assembly and operation of the sensor of FIG. 4 was complicated by several non-ideal characteristics: a) The silicon nitride membranes fabricated for the tunneling sensors suffered from stiffness which increased rapidly with deflection. For the required deflections of 3-5 μm, the stiffness increased from 1.5 N/m to more than 100 N/m. As a result, complicated clamping structures were required to reduce the tip-membrane separation, and extremely high deflection voltages (>400 V) were required. b) The total pressure of gas trapped within the cell is strongly dependent on the temperature of the environment surrounding the sensor. As a result, the deflection voltage required to operate the sensor was subject to rapid drifts during normal operation. During typical operation, it was necessary to physically adjust the mounting clamps to compensate for changes in room temperature every half hour. c) The tunneling electrodes, which are positioned below the gas volume, but exposed to air, are subject to contamination. Particularly severe contamination problems were observed during tests in high-humidity conditions. d) The, sensor is also sensitive to acoustic vibration is present in the laboratory. In spite of these behavioral complications, experiments were carried out which confirmed very good sensor performance. However, these behavioral complications would be unacceptable in any prototype sensor being prepared for delivery to a user laboratory. Several modifications to the design, assembly and packaging of these sensors were incorporated in an alternate embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8-11 to enable routine operation and delivery to user agencies. These modifications were: a) Use of a corrugated diaphragm to increase flexibility over a larger deflection range. b) Use of a 0.5 μm diameter pinhole in one of the membranes to eliminate dc-sensitivity of the sensor to environmental temperature variations. c) Use of a sealed chamber with an infrared window to eliminate environmental contamination of the tunneling electrodes and acoustic coupling to the sensor. These modifications have resulted in a set of tunneling infrared sensors which are appropriate for routine testing by non-experts at user laboratories and will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 8-11. It is well-known in the mechanical engineering community that the stiffness of flat diaphragms can increase rapidly for deflections larger than the thickness of the diaphragm. In the case of the tunneling infrared sensor, the diaphragm thickness is 0.5 μm, and the desired range of deflection is 3-5 μm. The introduction of corrugations into the diaphragm will delay the onset of the stiffness increase. Accordingly, a corrugated silicon nitride diaphragm may be fabricated in the following manner: a) Prepare a high-resolution photo mask which consists of sets of concentric circular openings of even contrast and 20 μm pitch. (see FIG. 8) b) Print this pattern on a photoresist-covered bare silicon wafer (of dimensions 3" in diameter�200 μm thickness in a standard configuration). c) Etch the pattern 1 μm into the surface of the wafer using a reactive ion etching apparatus and sulfur hexafluoride as the etchant. d) Grow a thick oxide on all surfaces of the wafer and then etch the oxide in hydrofluoric acid. This step smoothes the surface of the wafer, and rounds the circular trenches previously etched in the wafer. e) Deposit 0.5 μm of low-stress silicon nitride using a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition system. This nitride conformally coats all surfaces of the wafer, including the rounded corrugations. f) Etch square openings in the silicon nitride on the side of the wafer opposite to the previous etching of the circular trenches. g) Etch the entire wafer in a silicon etching solution such as potassium hydroxide until the membranes are released. The corrugated diaphragms fabricated in this way were immediately incorporated into a set of tunneling infrared sensors with the following results: The mechanical clamping structure used to help overcome the initial tip-membrane separation could be greatly simplified; and the operating voltages of the tunneling infrared sensors were reduced to below 150 V for all sensors and as low as 40 V for several sensors, allowing simplification of the feedback circuitry. The variations in operating voltage with room temperature can be eliminated by introduction of a small leak in the gas cavity, allowing the pressure to equilibrate. It is important that this leak be very small, so as to preserve the detection of the raidation-induced pressure fluctuations at>5 Hz frequencies. Given the dimensions of the cavity, and the thickness of the diaphragm, molecular dynamics calculations indicate that a pinhole diameter of 0.5 μm is required to achieve a 1 second time constant. Since optical lithographic techniques available to the inventors cannot be utilized to reliably fabricate features of such size, are e-beam lithography system was again utilized. Optical lithographic techniques may also be used if sufficient resolution is available. The procedure for the fabrication of the pinholes is: a) Coat a 3"�200 μm wafer with 0.5 μm of low-stress silicon nitride on all surfaces. b) Evaporate a 300 Å thick layer of aluminum on one side of the wafer. c) Coat the aluminum-side of the wafer with e-beam photoresist, and expose a series of 0.5 μm-diameter openings in the photoresist. d) Develop the resist, producing the 0.5 μm diameter openings. e) Etch ,the wafer in AZ 400K developer solution or any weak basic solution to remove the exposed aluminum under the e-beam written pinholes. f) Etch the entire wafer in a reactive ion etching apparatus with carbon tetrafluroide gas to remove the silicon nitride under the openings in the aluminum. g) Etch square openings in the silicon nitride on the opposite side of the wafer. h) Etch the entire wafer in potassium hydroxide solution until the diaphragms have been relased. These diaphragms will have 0.5 μm openings already in place. Once fabricated, several of these perforated diaphragms were incorporated into tunneling infrared sensors. A drawing showing the location of the corrugtions and perforation in the sensor is shown in FIG. 9. Measurements with these sensors confirmed that time-constants between 0.2 and 5 seconds were achieved. Tunneling infrared sensors based on these perforated membranes exhibited the following behavior: The operating voltage did not drift with the environmental temperature; and the sensor clamping structure could be eliminated entirely in favor of a completely bonded structure within a standard integrated circuit carrier. This packaging approach is shown in FIG. 10. These sensors were tested in several environments and shown to be sensitive to environmental contamination of the electrodes as well as acoustic coupling to the room. These problems were both solved by sealing the sensor in a small volume of air within the integrated circuit test package with a silicon window. The silicon window is used because it is transparent in the infrared, mechanically stiff enought to eliminate acoustic coupling, inexpensive, and readily available. Other infrared windows may also be used. The final design of these tunneling infrared sensors is shown in FIG. 11. Sensors incorporating these features of the alternative embodiment have been operated routinely over extended periods of time by users without expertise in the detailed operation of tunneling infrared sensors. Patent Citations
Referenced by
Legal Events
Rotate |


text:
Back to Previous Page
A Real Jekyll & Hyde Ride
"Friends of Carroll Shelby" builds a one-of-a-kind 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra to commemorate the late Carroll Shelby.
The fastest Mustang ever is capable of over 200+ MPH!
ROUSH bring their magic to the 3.7L V6 Mustang.
3...2...1...LIFTOFF! Putting the 2013 Shelby GT500 into orbit the fun way.
Running the GT500 at The Nardo Ring in Southern Italy.
So what is it like to pilot the new GT500 down the strip? You are about to find out...
Meet the team at SVT as they push the 2013 Shelby GT500 to the limit.
Nurburgring: the ultimate test track. Time to see what the GT500 can really do!
Carroll Shelby's legendary touch runs deep in the new GT500.
What's the best Ford Mustang for around $30k? Brian Moody and Lizzy Vincent from AutoTrader take two very different sides as to which car...
Let's look at the numbers behind this potent pony.
Make Your "Five-Oh" Go Faster and Smoother
If you love Ford performance, this is the place for you!
Upgrading a 1966 Mustang's Baer system from two-piston PBR caliper to six-piston Baer caliper.
We put together some of our favorite articles about the Ford Mustang!
King of the Road
A Race Car For The Streets
Born on California's highways, the Mustang SSP offered police a high-performance alternative.
How to get up-close and personal to find the finest Ford Mustang you can afford.
A visual guide to telling one vintage Pony Car from its model-year stable mates.
A visual feast for Mustang lovers.
Learn how to pump up the volume in your pony.
Daytona Speedway was a fitting corral for these ponies.
Tulsa Raceway Park thundered with Ford power!
H&H celebrate their 100th auction on April 16 at Buxton
A talented pilot, yachtsman and winter sportsman, there was more to Tony Marsh than just hillclimbing...
Browse Oldsmobile Series Fs For Sale
Browse Chrysler Series 75s For Sale
A focus on Mercedes-Benz
Browse Datsun Maximas For Sale
Browse Clenets For Sale
The new Camaro is a modern interpretation of old-school American muscle with a distinctly modern twist.
Browse Cunninghams For Sale
Browse Chevrolet Spectrums For Sale
Transporting Your Collectible Car
Browse Rolls-Royce Silver Spurs For Sale
Browse Mercedes-Benz 220Ss For Sale
Pullman's Mayfair gallery will be moving to Pimlico Road
Transforming a '70 Chevelle with a Twin-Turbo
Browse Austins For Sale
In this world of Health and Safety, it seems car design now has to be practical
The first Algarve Historic Festival has gone down a storm with the drivers and spectators...
Browse Acura Legends For Sale
How To Read And Service Spark Plugs
Browse Buicks For Sale
New model will hit show rooms in late 2013.
Browse Ford Model 91As For Sale
A look back at the F50 and whether it truly lived up to the legendary F40.
Giving a 1927 Chrysler a really personal touch...and 3,000 rivets.
Ford talks about the stable of new 2013 Mustang models.
Want more Ford content? Check out our Ford Enthusiast Headquarters!
Please select a field.
From Customs, Chevys, Fords to the Classics, these magazines provide the latest cutting edge information to fuel your passion.
All Magazines
Required Information

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dr. John Ensign's love of animals began at age eight with his best friend Fred, a dog that he bought with his brother for $10. Though a lot has changed since the days of Fred, John's passion for pets hasn't. After veterinary school, the John spent 10 years as Nevada's representative in the U.S. Senate where he was considered one of the Humane Society's biggest allies. More recently, he's opened Boca Park Animal Hospital, a 9,000-square-foot medical, grooming, and boarding facility that offers furry patients a loving staff of nurses and the latest technology in veterinary care. The building was renovated from the ground up to include noise-reduction insulation, luxury pet boarding suites, and a 1,600 square foot exercise area with a realistic mailman punching bag. Specialty laser therapy is also available to address wound healing, ear infections, liver disease, infections, and even behavior problems.
Pets are more than just animals, they're members of the family. Along with that belief comes a certain attitude that the pet lovers at Shaggy Chic love to indulge. Kelly Petersen, the founder of Shaggy Chic, takes great pride in pampering her pets, though it has sometimes brought her judgment and scrutiny.
But take a look around her salon, and it doesn't appear that judgmental eyes have affected Kelly one bit. She and her staff lovingly primp pups and other pets with a signature line of paraben-free shampoos, conditioners, detanglers, and fur fresheners, all of which are made in the United States from natural ingredients. In the salon, they groom pets with services that include baths, fur blowouts, nail trims, and ear cleaning. They can also spruce up furry friends with additional services such as teeth brushing, blueberry facials, and pawdicures that include paw-pad massages and nail polish.
The Dog House, the retail outpost of the Good Dog Food Company, carries an array of treats, toys, and holistic pet products and also regularly hosts 75-minute educational classes for bi-legged canine companions. During the Behavior Basics class on September 24, Dr. Crista Coppola, who has a PhD in animal behavior, instructs owners how to bond with pets, prevent behavioral problems, and get dogs to wear sweaters. Clients can share their pet's loving demeanor following the October 4 Making Your Dog a Therapy Dog class, led by certified therapy-dog handler Cal Oliver. Pupils' brains soak up info about canine therapy work, rules, and how to determine whether their dogs are telepathic enough to be suitable. Five minutes prior to each class, students meet at The Dog House to stroll over to a conference room at the Regus offices. The Dog House requests that four-pawed friends remain at home during the classes.


text:
Mossy Oak Tuesday Night Pursuits 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM ET SPONSORED BY: Mossy Oak Tuesday Night Pursuits Presented by Mossy Oak is where serious hunters come to fill their tag of outdoor entertainment. Featuring notable personalities and the best insight on how to bag the best trophies, Outdoor Channel's Tuesday night lineup features the perfect programming for hunters of all types from the novice to the expert. Your browser does not support iframes. The Shows 8:00 PMThe Hit List presented by Moultrie8:30 PMTed Nugent Spirit of the Wild9:00 PMMossy Oak's Hunting the Country9:30 PMDriven with Pat & Nicole10:00 PMRam Outdoorsman10:30 PMWinchester World of Whitetail11:00 PMEastmans' Hunting TV11:30 PMArcher's Choice with Ralph & Vicki All Program Blocks Mossy Oak Tuesday Night PursuitsMidwayUSA Wednesday Night At The RangePrimos Thursday Night Calls Of The HuntBass Pro Shops Big Sporting SaturdaysWildgame Innovations Sunday Night on the HuntInactive - Trophy Ridge Bowhunting FridayBear Archery Bowhunting MondayBushnell Sunday At First LightInactive - Dick's Friday Night at the LodgeChevy Silverado SaturdaysDoublestar Nation Lock and Load WednesdaysEaston Straight Shot SundaysMoultrie This Is How You Know SundaysInactive - Saturday Night Fever for the Hunt brought to you by Cabela's Deer NationScent Killer Trophy TuesdaysYamaha Thrill of the Hunt Thursday
Shows Full Schedule Videos Outdoor Interests #WhatGetsYouOutdoors New Show Submission Submit Press Releases Technical Information Privacy Policy Terms of Use Contact Us Links Explore the United States Industry Partners International Media Kit Press Cable Affiliates Employment Subscribe to Newsletter Newsletter Archive DVDs Link To Us Digital Networks MyOutdoorTV Down Range TV CAS City Major League Fishing Lake-Link Field & Stream Outdoor Life


text:
Town Square
Go 'Disease' Mocker Go !!
Original post made by Boycott, Another Pleasanton neighborhood, on Jun 14, 2012
Good job ! Disease.
Comments (2)
a resident of Bridle Creek
on Jun 14, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Just what the forums need--another weird ranter. Welcome home, Boycott.
a resident of Parkside
on Jun 14, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Mr. Mittens is'nt Mitt Romney as he wants us to believe. The PW will never censer Mr. Mittens because there cowards to the enth degree. An investigation would show that Mr. Mittens is a she, who gets paid by Obama, unions, and the communist party to spew her rubble across these pages. There probably using our tax money to finance her whalings as well.
Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.
The Free Community College Forum
By Tom Cushing | 7 comments | 2,733 views
A rare demolition in Pleasanton
By Tim Hunt | 1 comment | 1,226 views
Insuring your laterals
By Roz Rogoff | 1 comment | 973 views
Can You Get a Job with That?
By Elizabeth LaScala | 1 comment | 354 views


text:
Staff Picks
Homer's OdysseyEveryone warned that Homer would always be an "underachiever," never as playful or independent as other cats. Read More » |
CoralineA young girl walks through a secret door that she has found in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. Read More » |
Mennonite In a Little Black DressA hilarious and moving memoir--in the spirit of Anne Lamott and Nora Ephron--about a woman who returns home to her close-knit Mennonite family after a personal crisis. Read More » |
Hear Me SignHear Me Sign will join HTFL in the Family Place Parent/Child Workshop this fall for the first time. Amy Burns is the founder of, Hear Me Sign, a program that offers baby sign language classes to adults and children, ages birth-3. Amy is a certified special education teacher and sign language instructor. Amy has 3 years experience of professional teaching and has completed levels I and II of American Sign Language. Read More » |
MusicWorksMusicWorks and HTFL have been collaborating for more than two years! We've worked together on the Family Place Parent/Child Workshop, storytimes, and afterschool sessions for elementary children. MusicWorks, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) music therapy service provider, offers small group sessions for children and young adults (21 years plus) with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and other challenges. Read More » |
Bat For Lashes - Two SunsWith guest spots from Scott Walker and Yeasayer, Bat For Lashes' sophomore effort lands with simple poise. Read More » |
Little Bunny on the Move"From here to there, a bunny goes where a bunny must." With its simple but philosophical prose and minimal yet striking illustration, this children's book weaves an enchanting tale of one small rabbit Read More » |
Peace, Love, and Baby DucksIn Lauren Myracle's book Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks you'll meet Carly and her southern family. Read More » |
Phoebe in WonderlandPhoebe is an imaginative little girl (played by Elle Fanning) who is obsessed with Alice and Wonderland and who also has OCD and Tourette's Syndrome. Read More » |
Shutter IslandShutter Island off Massachusett's coast is an army facility turned into a hospital for the criminally insane. This mystery, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, about two U.S. Read More » |
Wonderful TonightAn iconic figure of the 1960's and 70's, Pattie Boyd breaks a forty-year silence in Wonderful Tonight, and tells the story of how she found herself bound to two of the most addict Read More » |
Concord CoalitionThe Concord Coalition is a nationwide, non-partisan, grassroots organization advocating generationally responsible fiscal policy. Read More » |
Read Kiddo Read"...You've found your way here because you've decided to take your kid's reading future into your own hands. Something told you the only way to get kids to read was to give them great books, cool books, books they would absolutely love..." writes James Patterson on his website, ReadKiddoRead.com. This page is FULL of recommendations for kids of all ages - you're sure to find something for your child! Read More » |
Inkheart on PlayawayTry a Playaway today! Playaways is the simplest way to listen to an audio book on the go. It's an MP3 player with the book already on it and a battery to make it play. Simply plug in your earphones and enjoy. Read More » |
The DuchessChronicles the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. She was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life. She was a vibrant beauty and celebrity of her time. Read More » |


text:
Hello, I am new to this forum as I have just swapped my 2003 Golf GTI for a 20K miles 2004 S-Line A4 Saloon 190. Generally I am very pleased with the car, the only small niggle that I have is the suspension does seem very firm. I didn't notice this on the test drive as it was mainly smooth dual carrageway but have since noticed potholes and uneven surfaces that I didn't seem to notice in the golf. I gather that this is how they all are from reading about it on the net but would appreciate a second opinion? It's riding on the standard setup with the 18 inch wheels. Thanks in anticipation, Stu
I had an A3 2.0 Tdi s-line and my wife and family refused to travel in it because the suspension was so hard. I think you'll find that the general consensus is that the s-line set-up is not that smooth to say the least. I'm sure that others with far more knowledge and experience than myelf will no doubt let you know either way.
Yep, the S-line & preceeding Sport models are a hard ride! One way around this would be to change the wheels for a 17" rim giving you more rubber to cushion you, or get a cushion as my sister boyfriend does!!!!!!
yes i'm feeling the same about my A3 S-Line after living with it for a month now. I also came from a Golf. My wife prefers us to go out in her Focus because she says it's much more compfortable. I think it's fine on motorways and Dual Carriage ways and handles great on twist roads, but it is overly jittery and hard for a relaxed drive through the countryside. Still, love the S-Line look and spec and would not change it for a sport. My mate has a A3 sport on 17's and not really much different IMO.


text:
Advanced Search
Supercomputer company Cray won a $26 million contract from the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program.
Because no single approach can detect every threat, hybrid analytics can help IT managers uncover hidden, suspicious activities and see the bigger picture.
A partnership between the Mid-Atlantic Crossroads and Bytegrid Holdings will provide a secure, advanced infrastructure platform for the research and education community across the mid-Atlantic region.
Boston University's smart-city cloud platform is designed to use cloud and big data technologies to improve transportation, energy, public safety, asset management and social services in the City of Boston and across Massachusetts.
Aspera offers WAN optimization tools to stream data of any type, resolution or size to and from cloud systems.
IBM introduced Watson Analytics, a new service for its Watson platform designed to ease the technical requirements and data grooming needed for advanced analytics.
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed software that models energy consumption, information that can help the lab and other large institutions cut energy needs.
The Seattle Police Department is using its crime data as part of a new program that's aimed at quickly addressing crime hotspots based on analysis of crime data and community reports of incidents.
The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center is conducting market research on the use of automated license plate readers as a way to improve traffic safety.
How a technology team at a SmartAmerica Challenge built an Internet of Things prototype to create a sensor network for automating public housing safety alerts.
A SmartAmerica Challenge project to build an emergency alert system for public housing turned into a case study on how to develop a working Internet of Things application.
In a new book, three IBM analytics experts examine how IBM has used analytics in enterprises around the world.
Join us as we discuss scalable, software-defined storage architecture and integration, along with hardware and software technologies that empower Everything Storage. You will also be introduced to the leading massive-scale, open-platform solution for object storage. Be sure to tune-in to learn and ask questions about how open-platform solutions can bring you enterprise-class reliability, performance and simplicity without vendor lock-in and the associated price tag.
The vRealize Suite contains updates and new offerings that can streamline and automate operations, leading to more efficiency and fewer problems. Download this informative digital dialogue to learn more highlights from a recent webcast on software-defined data centers and cloud management.
The software-defined data center is beginning to reveal some benefits beyond agility, speed, and efficiency to government agencies. One critical area is security. Read this brief to find out how VMware is making micro-segmentation operationally feasible in the data center for the first time.
Data center consolidation provides an opportunity for academic institutions to make modest investments in people, processes and technology in exchange for reductions in IT capital and maintenance costs, and substantial gains in IT agility, reliability and security. Download this brief to learn more.
View More


text:
Tag: New eMac
The latest gossip: eMac wants a nip/tuck
AppleInsider, one of our primary sources for that contraband we like to call "Apple rumors", is claiming to have the word on a new education Mac to replace the now defunct eMac. Apparently the all-new eMac will be based around G5 processors and.... wait. That article's from two years ago! We can onl...
Subscribe to Newsletter
Software Updates
more updates- Logic Pro X update brings AirDrop support, new effects, tools, and more
- Parallels Access 2.5 released, adds file manager, computer-to-computer remote access
- The Google Translate iOS app is about to get a lot smarter
- Dropbox adds file/folder renaming and Office document editing to iOS app
- Vizzywig 8xHD price tag now a very affordable $49.99
- Automatic targets teen drivers with License+ service


text:
Get the Best Priced Mercedes CLK500 Flex Joint
- Fast Shipping
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- Lowest Prices
Mercedes CLK500 Replacement Flex Joint Information
Search our online flex joint catalog and find the lowest priced discount auto parts on the web. We sell wholesale to the public. We offer high quality new, OEM, aftermarket and remanufactured Mercedes CLK500 Flex Joint parts. We specialize in a wide-variety of high-quality car parts and accessories for your car, truck or SUV. Call toll free to order or place your order online via our secure checkout system. Our online parts catalog uses real-time inventory, so you can be assured the parts you buy are in stock at the time of ordering. Most orders are shipped the same day. They are available for the following Mercedes CLK500 years: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 06, 05, 04, 03. This part is also sometimes called Mercedes CLK500 Driveshaft Joints. We stock flex joint parts for most Mercedes models including E320, 300E, 190E, 300D, C230, C220, S430, S500, S320, E300, 300SD, 560SL, 300SE, 240D, 300TD, C280, 300TE, 380SL, SL500, 300CE, E55 AMG, 300SL, 260E, 190D, 560SEC, 450SL, CLK320, 300SDL, 500SL, 420SEL, S420, 500SEL, 560SEL, 300CD, 300SEL, SL320, SLK230, C240, E500 and CLK430.
We stock these Flex Joint brands for the Mercedes CLK500: Febi.
06 2006 Mercedes CLK500 Driveshaft Bearing INA
05 2005 Mercedes CLK500 Wheel Action Crash
06 2006 Mercedes CLK500 Wheel Bearing Front Genuine
04 2004 Mercedes CLK500 Wheel Hub Front Genuine w/ Bearing
your website is very helpful and was the only place that i could find the parts i needed for a reasonable price.
Fast delivery and some of the best prices I have seen for car parts. Will definitely use in the future and have already told others about this site!


text:
Entitlement or over utilization?
October 07, 2014Many of our therapy patients are medically complex and we, unfortunately, are not able to predict the future, as it sometimes seems that regulators want us to do.
5 rules of the rehab screen
February 25, 2014What is the purpose of a rehabilitation screen? Very simply, we attempt to identify long-term residents' needs and possible rehab potential. Somehow, we don't really have an industry standard on what should take place during a screen.


text:
My ggggrandfather was ISAAC BROGDEN born in NC. or VA. Feb 22 1798. He settled in White Co Tn. by 1824 and died in same. He had Sons John Alexander, Wiley B. and James. Wiley moved to TX. after the Civil War. James raised his family in Putnam Co Tn. Isaac's wife was Amilia Warren daughter of Bluford Warren. I have learned of Wiley Brogdon of GA who would have been the right age to have been his father. Will share any info or work with anyone. gary
Home | Help | About Us | Site Index | Jobs | PRIVACY | Affiliate |
© 2007 The Generations Network |


text:
First year: 1958
Extirpated year: Unknown
Established status: Species were formerly present in Florida, but are no longer present.
Estimated Florida range: 2 counties Not reported breeding
Statewide trend: No current population
Threats to natives: Unknown
Species Account:
Robertson, W. B., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Florida Ornithological Society, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Back to Nonnative Birds
FWC Facts:The FWC seeks to ensure access to hunting, fishing and other recreational opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Learn More at AskFWC


text:
r - Unregistered June 01, 2012 5:51 PM hohe, the funs came to see the hondas and Ducati, not you,lol! 4 agree 14 disagree
99 the best - Unregistered June 01, 2012 5:51 PM Lorenzo is marvellous.no wonder he could beat Rossi by equal machinery.that is confirmed. 26 agree 7 disagree
Vilas - Unregistered June 01, 2012 5:56 PM For me its very hard to say this.. But if there is a rider that can mach Rossi will be Lorenzo anyway aim still puching for Rossi has long he stays on Motogp.. But have to say Lorenzo grow up a lot and i just love the way he rides like he say Smooth and like an Hammer.. Top riding no doubt!! for me the best spanish i ever wach!! 3 agree 0 disagree
smooth - Unregistered June 01, 2012 6:02 PM Cool and calm... Eddie Lawson rings bells.Should be a great start to dry race? and fighting off Stoner and Pedrosa. 2 agree 0 disagree
there there now - Unregistered June 01, 2012 6:04 PM He is not the only one, the Jorge appreciation societyJ.A.S. is feeling good too 0 agree 0 disagree
Realist June 01, 2012 6:04 PM Last Edited 973 days ago @ 99 the bestLorenzo is formidable (and I hope that he pulls it off this year), but it is a more accurate statement to say that "he beat an injured Rossi who missed a string of races due to a broken leg on equal machinery". It wasn't really a head-to-head situation. Even still, he chalked up a championship and nothing can take away from that. Reply Report abuse 12 agree 8 disagree
Spies Fan - Unregistered June 01, 2012 6:05 PM Of course Lorenzo is feeling good. He is on a bike developed by the god of feel - Ben Spies. A little known fact - told to me by Neil Spaulding before our falling out over was going to have the last croissant at a HRC corporate event - is that Ben is using Lorenzo as a test bed for his assault on both moto2 and motogp next year. But...and here's the kicker - he's selling him a dummy as we all know Ben will be replacing Stoner at Repsol Honda. This is *classic* Ben. The same mindgames he used on Mladlin and Haga. Let us not forget that he used Haga to develop the R1 in 2008, befriended him and sent him off to Ducati before taking the ride.He is unbelievably good at pyschology. Watch out field - Elbowz is playing the long game! 10 agree 6 disagree
hoppy June 01, 2012 6:08 PM Jorge sounding confident,and after his sublime performance at LeMans,why not?Look for some seriously quick times tomorrow.Casey and Dani will need to be on their toes. Reply Report abuse 3 agree 2 disagree
Vilas - Unregistered June 01, 2012 6:09 PM Realist i love your commens man.. For sure you wach Motogp for long time.. also agrea with you 2010 sesson was impossible for Rossi play with him after that injure still we wach very well Rossi him 2008 and 2009.. Only blind people dont understand the dificult of Ducati bike..! And i also talck bad about Stoner but its just because i hate when people say Rossi is over just like that.. I also know very well that Stoner is great but btween him and Lorenzo all go to Lorenzo simply because of is style riding a bike.. Anyway God Bless all Motogp riders.. For the show they give to us.. 2 agree 6 disagree


text:
Leeza Gibbons got married this week in one of the smallest celebrity weddings ever.Instead of making a spectacle with a huge guest list and paparazzi fanfare, Gibbons and boyfriend of over two years, Steve Fenton, tied the knot Wednesday night in front of Leeza's three children ... and nobody else.Gibbons' two oldest kids, 21-year-old Lexi and 19-year-old Troy, became ordained ministers online so they could actually officiate the wedding, which was held at the site of the the newlyweds' first date -- the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills.The duo met after being set up on a blind date. This is Leeza's fourth marriage.Check out the additional photo below:
Black Barbie: 1381 days ago
Her fourth wedding? Really? Any bets on how long this one will last? Sheesh!
Runescape gold: 1381 days ago
Just a friendly reminder..-.Igegolds.com is an 24/7 Online Game Store offering Runescape gold, cheap Runescape gold,MapleStory Mesos,WoW Gold,Aion Gold,FFXIV Gil,Runescape Powerleveling,And Other More Service!
val: 1380 days ago
Leeza hope this marriage is your last. Good Luck
Hisjules: 1380 days ago
© 2015 EHM Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.In partnership with TMZ.com | Privacy Policy


text:
byLisa Barry on
One benefit to jumping on board with Cisco's push toward cloud is in the power of the brand. With the new partner program, Cloud Services Resellers will be able to use Cisco Powered Branding on their own white-label offers. "It's more than just a branding. It's more about reference architectures; it's about Cisco outbound awareness; it's about joint marketing programs; and it's about the operational support behind that," said Scott Boyd, director, Cloud Strategy and Planning at Cisco. Boyd emphasized the logo as a symbol of Cisco's overall commitment in making sure exceptional services are delivered in the marketplace.
The 100 Coolest Cloud Computing Vendors Of 2015
The 2015 installment of the 100 Coolest Cloud Computing Vendors highlights the best of the best in platforms and development, security, infrastructure, storage and software.
Here are 10 recent searches by CRN visitors.


text:
Transfer Pathways
Transfer Pathways have been developed for most majors at our local partner universities. If the major and/or transfer school you are interested in is not included in our resource directory, you can obtain articulation information on the ASSIST web site, or see a counselor for assistance.
Please select a University from the list below:
Antioch University
ESL Spotlight
Jessika Ruvalcaba
ESL Student
"Previously, I did not know any English and now I have a job at the college as a lab assistant and as a Spanish tutor. Thanks to the credit ESL program I am now planning to transfer to a four-year university. It changed my life!"
Read More »


text:
Click on the image to view larger
Phaistos was one of the major cities of Minoan civilization along with Knossos, Malia and Kato Zakro. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of British archaeologist Arthur Evans. Will Durant referred to it as "the first link in the European chain". Minoan palaces (anaktora), like the one in Phaistos, are the best known building types to have been excavated on the island. They are monumental buildings serving administrative purposes, as evidenced by the large archives unearthed by archaeologists.
The name of Phaistos is substantiated by the coins of the classical city. They display motifs such as Europa sitting on a bull, Talos with wings or Heracles without beard and being crowned. References to Phaistos in ancient Greek literature are quite frequent. Phaistos is first referenced by Homer as "well populated", and the Homeric epics indicate its participation in the Trojan war.
Phaistos archaeological site, Island of Crete, Greece, Europe
Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85 mm at 24 mm, 1/1000 sec at f/ 10, ISO 200
© Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos Photography. All Rights Reserved.
Featured in 4 groups:
"You Got It, We Want It"
"Your Country's Best"
"Greece and all things Hellenic"
"Holiday Sights"
Views 700 / Favorited by 5 people / June 3, 2014
europe, greece, island, greek islands, aegean, crete, phaistos, archaeological site, archaeology, history, minoan, konstantinos arvanitopoulos, out there photography
"Out there! Photography" – Nature and travelling images from around the world
We live in a wonderfully diverse world made up of many cultures, landscapes and life forms. The main purpose of my photography is to showcase how much interesting and magnificent our planet is.
July 17, 2013
Beautiful work!
Thank you very much for the feature Teresa!
– Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos
Wonderful work friend! Just a magical place
Thanks a lot Apostole!
– Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos
Beautiful work!!
Thanks a lot Maria!
– Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos
Beautiful capture my friend ! CONGRATULATIONS on the FEATURE !
Thank you very much Tom!
– Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos
Many thanks for the feature Marie!
– Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos
Excellent photo!
Thank you very much Stephen!
– Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos
Many thanks for the feature to Greece and all things Hellenic group!
Superb capture and history Konstantinos!
Thank you very much Arfan!
– Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos
Many thanks for the feature!
– Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos


text:
Taylor Swift and 10 more celebs reveal their Christmas presents (PHOTOS) by Caroline Goddard Dec 26, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save These 11 stars definitely had a holly, jolly Christmas — even if Taylor Swift's dad is a bit of a Scrooge. Read Full Story
Pan: Everything you knew about Peter Pan is wrong (VIDEO) by Shanee Edwards Nov 25, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save Eventually, every classic tale gets an origin story and Peter Pan is no different. Only, this trailer for Pan seems to reinvent the story entirely. Take a look at the seven things that surprised us the most. Read Full Story
25 Pics that prove celebs always look better with a beard by Julie Sprankles Oct 30, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save November may be the month of the mustache, but beards deserve our adoration all year long. I mean, really, have you ever met a man who doesn't look even foxier with a beautiful beard? Just feast your eyes on these burly fellows. Read Full Story
Hugh Jackman reminds us that cancer can even strike superheroes by Sarah Long Oct 29, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save Even during another health scare, Hugh Jackman is keeping an eye out for his fans. Read Full Story
Why Miley, Cara and Ellie are #feelingnuts by Claire Gillespie Oct 27, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save The latest social media awareness campaign is strictly for the guys — but the celebrity ladies are getting in on the act too. Read Full Story
Hugh Jackman strips for Kelly Ripa (VIDEO) by Jessica Hickam Oct 22, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save Are Hugh in or are Hugh out? Read Full Story
Hugh Jackman's #FeelingNuts campaign: The big question by Kat Hobza Oct 03, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save Right on the heels of the ALS ice bucket challenge, which raised over $100 million, is another celebrity driven challenge. If you thought dumping ice water over your head was crazy, Hugh Jackman's challenge is really nuts, and it has us a little worried about where this trend may take us. Read Full Story
Hugh Jackman's wife says she isn't lucky to have married him by Cailyn Cox Sep 25, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save Hugh Jackman is one of the hottest stars in Hollywood: He's talented, he's funny and he's very, very good-looking. But he's also a married man, and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, is tired of hearing people tell her how lucky she is to be married to the The Wolverine actor. Read Full Story
Our favourite relationship advice from celebrities by Kat Trofimova Jun 24, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save Celebrities are such a huge presence in most of our lives, it's only natural for us to consider their relationship advice, right? We've rounded up our favourites. Read Full Story
There's something different about Hugh Jackman. . . by Kat Trofimova Jun 11, 2014 Share Tweet Pin Share Save After Hugh Jackman gave a stunning performance at the Tony Awards, the actor posted a selfie on Instagram, and there's something very different about him. Read Full Story


text:
Mike Tuchen, CEO
Mike Tuchen joined Talend as Chief Executive Officer in 2013. Prior to joining Talend, he served as the CEO of Rapid7 and led the company through a dramatic expansion of its marketing, sales, partnerships and product line. A former Microsoft executive and seasoned marketing and product strategist, he also served as the General Manager of Microsoft's SQL Server Marketing team. Mike is also a board member of ThousandEyes.


text:
Beautiful Shore
Jeremy Yowell
2012 / Truly Sage Media
44.1 minutes
"Beautiful Shore" is the debut album by Jeremy Yowell, the pastor of a small country church in northwest Illinois. The eleven piano solos are exceptional in their beauty and emotional power. All of the songs were composed by people who had been touched by death, and Yowell's arrangements express the wide range of emotions that are a natural part of the grieving process. Yowell is himself the son of a pastor, and music has always been a driving force in his life. He took piano lessons from the age of six through high school, and then enrolled in the music program at a small Bible college where he studied music theory, history, composition, arranging, and conducting. His extensive training coupled with a profound love for music and its ability to reach people in ways that words cannot, are evident in Yowell's masterly yet effortless playing style. He incorporates classical stylings from Bach to Gershwin to Scott Joplin into his own style, and I really like the selection of lesser-known hymns. "Beautiful Shore" was recorded at Joe Bongiorno's Piano Haven Studio on Joe's Kawai concert grand and the sound quality is perfection.
"Beautiful Shore" begins with "Ivory Palaces," a song arranged in a classical style reminiscent of Mozart or Haydn. Lively and upbeat, it celebrates the prospect of being welcomed into heaven. "Sweet Beulah Land" is a southern gospel song, and Yowell's arrangement is gentle and very peaceful. "Welcome Home" is a beautiful ballad that offers comfort and reassurance as Yowell's nimble fingers caress the piano keys. Fanny Crosby's "I Shall Know Him" offers a message of hope, and Yowell conveys the strength of that message with his dramatic playing style - sometimes soft-spoken and sometimes impassioned. "Rejoice, The Lord is King" has an almost Baroque grandeur as it expresses feelings of triumph and joy. "In the Sweet By and By" is quite a showpiece with each verse given a little different treatment. It begins softly and serenely, gaining momentum for the second verse and then quieting before the brilliantly sparkling third verse that then tapers off, becoming more reflective to the end. "Mansion Over the Hilltop" is a surprise with its lighthearted ragtime style. The middle of the piece becomes slower and more serious, returning to the ragtime style for the final verse. "When We All Get To Heaven" is joyful and celebratory with a Gershwin-like flair. It begins very gently, gradually evolving into a passionate message expressing the joy of reuniting beyond the pearly gates.
"Beautiful Shore" is an exceptionally impressive debut, and I hope it is the first of many releases from Jeremy Yowell! It is available from Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby. Recommended!
Kathy Parsons
What did you think of this review?
Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.


text:
Chicken Enchiladas
Dad's recipe from men's health
Yield: 7 servings ( Serving Size: 1 tortilla )
Community Recipe from
- 2 pound(s) chicken breasts cut up small
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1tsp chili powder
- 1 can(s) low fat refried beans
- 1 can(s) enchilada sauce
- 1/2 cup(s) wheat germ
- sour cream
- cheddar cheese
- 1 bag(s) whole wheat tortillas
- brown rice
- Saute chicken pieces rolled in spices in non stick pan for 4 minutes. Remove from heat mix in wheat germ,and half enchillada sauce and refried beans.
- put 1/3 cup in totillas, roll up and place seam side down in nonstick baking dish.
- TOP WITH ENCHILADA SAUCE AND COVER and bake for 40 minutes. In last 5 minutes sprinkle with cheese. garnish wth salsa, sour cream and cheese. 536 calories , 49 protein, 655 carbs, 14 g fat
June 2013
This recipe is a personal recipe added by imager48 and has not been tested or endorsed by MyRecipes.
Chicken Enchiladas Recipe at a Glance
- COURSE: Main Dishes
- CONVENIENCE: Freezable
- CUISINE: Mexican
- MAIN INGREDIENT: Poultry
- COOKING METHOD: Bake
More Recipes for Main Dishes
Best Carrot Cake
Southern Living -
Classic Beef Pot Roast
Cooking Light -
Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Southern Living
Find out what we've got cooking...
Get our Free Weekly Specials Newsletter filled with our favorite recipes, seasonal menus, and special features.
We Respect Your Privacy. Privacy Policy


text:
Manufacturer's Description
1. Very sleek, sophisticated style & design and packed with great extras Lplayer comes with intuitive iriver D-Click System, 262K Color 2.0" TFT LCD with colorful GUI, , FM radio with FM recording, Voice Recording, Photo Viewer, and Text Viewer. It natively supports OGG, FLAC audio file- both lossless file formats and most popular video formats. 2. Intuitive iriver D-Click System Lplayer also ensures comfortable usage with 'iriver D-Click System,' which is operated by clicking the screen in the four directions, and UI (User Interface) that is intuitive and easy to control. Take original pleasure in the D-Click system exclusively for iriver that you cannot experience in other products. 3. 2.0 inch Multi A/V Player Lplayer features a 2.0 inch 262k TFT LCD color display at 320 x 240 resolution, FM radio with recording, voice recording, audio playback support for MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF and FLAC, support for MPEG-4, WMV9 and XviD video formats maximizing portability with its most enhanced moving image playing function of 30 frames per second. 4. Multiplayer Lplayer Lplayer, the multiplayer allowing a collection of function, offers various entertainment options such as moving image, FM radio, voice recorder, image, and text viewer as well as mp3 playing. In particular, Lplayer is a moving image player maximizing portability with its most enhanced moving image playing function of 30 frames per second. a. MUSIC files Lplayer supports most popular audio formats MP3, WAV, WMA, and OGG and FLAC - both lossless file formats. Providing abundant base and three-dimensional sounds with a 7-band custom EQ, SRS WOW HD. b. Video files Lplayer with TFT LCD (320 X 240) resolution supports Xvid, MPEG-4 SP and WMV9 SP of 30 frames per second. Thus, you can simply transform various moving picture files such as movies, music videos and animations to see on the vivid screen of Lplayer using iriverplus3.
The Specs
Quick Glance |
Related MP3 Players
Sony Walkman NWZ-W273SORG 4 GB Flash MP3 Player - Orang...New depths.Take your workout and your music below the surface. With an... |
$100.00 |
Sony Walkman NWZ-E385 16 GB Black MP3 Player (1.77" LCD...Sony NWZ-E385BLK Endless entertainment awaits with the E Series Walkman... |
$95.00 |
Sony 64GB Silver Hi-Res Walkman Digital Music Player - ...Capable Of Handling A Variety Of Digital Audio Formats/ S-Master HX... |
$300.00 |
Sony Walkman NWZ-E383RED 4 GB Red Flash Portable Media ...Endless entertainment awaits with the E Series Walkman MP3 player. It... |
$65.00 |
Sony Walkman NWZ-E384BLK 8 GB Black Flash Portable Medi...Endless entertainment awaits with the E Series Walkman MP3 player. It... |
$75.00 |


text:
News Headlines
- Wed, Jan 28
- #IDARB is February's Xbox One game for Games With Gold, Brothers and Sniper Elite V2 on 360
- Square Enix teasing PlayStation 4 title 'Project CODE Z,' to be revealed January 31
- Mortal Kombat X's cold-blooded killer is back, Reptile melts the competition and eats what's left
- Tue, Jan 27
- League of Legends getting Marauder and Inquisitor skins soon, plus Heartseeker Varus with pricing
- League of Legends music video features original song 'The Curse of the Sad Mummy'
New Articles
Related Articles
The BFG GeForce 7900 GT OC is a relatively good product, though it does have a weight or two dragging it behind. It's fast enough to run all of the modern games out there at high detail at at least 1024x768 with 4x AA/16x AF -- many of these games will even run at 1280x1024, or perhaps 1600x1200. Any last-generation game, or older, will be a piece of cake for the 7900 GT as well. The BFG GeForce 7900 GT OC is also a great card to throw in your system if you want a great bang-for-your-watt. Considering its small, dinky heatsink, yet great performance, NVIDIA truly has a winner in the power consumption department.
My concern about the 7900 GT stems from the fact that while both it and the Radeon X1800 XT cards have great performance, the X1800 XT appears to have an edge in most cases. The 512 MB version of the X1800 XT seems to be on par with a 7800 GTX from BFG, though there are occasional losses. I've already mentioned on the "Hardware and Benchmark Setup" page my justification for testing the 256 MB 7900 GT OC along with a 512 MB X1800 XT (first and foremost would be the fact that we don't have a 256 MB X1800 XT on hand). The extra 256 MB seems to lend a hand only in extreme cases, such as "Ultra" quality in Doom 3 engine games, or resolutions far and above 1600x1200.
Keeping that in mind, consider that ATI's 256 MB Radeon X1800 XT can be acquired for around the just under $300, while the 7900 GT's street price still has a $40 premium over this. For this reason, I believe it's hard to justify the purchase of a BFG GeForce 7900 GT OC over an X1800 XT on the merit of performance alone.
Power Consumption
There are a few factors that, even given the less effective bang-for-your-buck factor of the 7900 GT, could tip the scale for some gamers in favour of said card. Power efficiency is one of those factors. Even without an electrical engineering degree, it is clear to any observer that the 7900 GT is a great deal more efficient than the X1800 XT, just based on heatsink size alone. The results of our power consumption tests look as follows:
Going by this data, it's possible that over a prolonged period of time the 7900 GT could earn its $40 premium X1800 XT back in the form of power savings, especially given the rising energy costs in the United States. A rough calculation for figuring out the additional cost of running a Radeon X1800 XT 512 MB over a GeForce 7900 GT OC would look like this -- (47W * [Average hours of game-playing time per day] * 365.25) / 1000 * [Price per kWh]. Using the US national average of 9.5 cents per kWh (November 2005), and an average game-playing time of two hours per day, I arrived at ~326 cents, or $3.26 per year. In other words, in order to earn back the $40 in the form of power savings over a 2.5-year period (which I would consider the average life time of a video card), and assuming that your computer is turned off in between gaming sessions, you would have to play games for about 10 hours a day. For some that's unheard-of, for others ... well, personally, I prefer going outside.
Another factor to consider is that of SLI vs. CrossFire. There are significantly more SLI motherboards out there than CrossFire motherboards, and the hypothetical gamer could already be the owner of such a motherboard. If so, going to a dual-card configuration with SLI would obviously be cheaper than buying a new CrossFire motherboard along with a second card. Staying on the same track, there is also the issue of the relative maturity of both technologies -- SLI has been available to the public for a good deal longer than CrossFire, and as a result of that, enjoys support from many more titles than CrossFire currently does. These are all things to consider on a personal basis - it all depends on where your priorities lie.
All of that said, the BFG GeForce 7900 GT OC is nonetheless a great product for the heavy gamer and an all round strong choice. Given time, it should drop in price even further, and at that point even more factors will swing in favour of the 7900GT. Until then, the 256 MB X1800 XT appears to be the better value if performance is your one and only true concern.
- Comment on this article
- check out our other Game Accelerator Cards articles
- read more BFG GeForce 7900 GT OC reviews
- visit our Game Accelerator Cards section


text:
Instant "Members Only" Coupon Codes Emailed NOW When You Sign Up for FREE Membership!
You are already an existing user.
Do you want to opt back in?
Please check your email inbox for a confirmation message.
Just click the link to complete your subscription and receive your coupon codes.
Popular Destinations
- Mexico
- Caribbean
- Las Vegas
- Orlando
- Hawaii
- Florida
- New York City
- Costa Rica
- New Orleans
- San Francisco
The Westin Buckhead
Located in Atlanta (Buckhead), The Westin Buckhead is minutes from Legoland Discovery Center and Phipps Plaza. This 4-star hotel is within close proximity of Lenox Square and Atlanta History Center. Read More About The Westin Buckhead
The Westin Buckhead Deals & Specials
- 1 King Bed
- 1 king
- 2 double


text:
+ best price/performance ratio + tidy and good equipped rooms with hammocks, fridge,.. + very good breakfast with nice local staff, who makes fresh vitamina, omelette,... + nice atmosphere: garden with palm trees.. + Pousada isn't located where google map says, but at the border of the city next to the road to "Quebra Mar" -> good if you have... More
Brazil >
State of Ceara >
Price Range (Based on Average Rates):
Number of rooms: 14
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com and Odigeo so you can book your Pousada Brisa & Soul reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Pousada Brisa & Soul Paracuru, Brazil


text:
Results 1 to 5 of 5
Threaded View
March 17th, 2013 12:06 AM #1
Future Puppy vs. Future Kid Dilemma...
I have a strange problem. I am most likely getting a puppy of my own soon (still a teen) and I am trying to find creative dog names. I am also obsessed with baby names in general, so my first thoughts are to turn to my name list for girls names. Here's the issue: in the distant future, when I want to have kids, would it still be plausible to use a name for a child that I already used for my dog? I adore Nylah in particular, but I also like it as a legitimate baby name... These thoughts are echoed for most of my other faves.
I thought about Jezebel, b/c I love the name, but the connotation makes it unsuitable for a kid. But I'm thinking it could still work for a dog.
Please advise about my concerns. And suggestions of creative dog names would be appreciated as well. I'm thinking I'll probably end up getting a border colie. Thanks, guys!~*~**~*Larissa~*~**~*
Elodie * Violet * Story * Indigo * Blaire * Aurora * Mazarine * Cordelia * Rhiannon * Snow * Jolie
Rowan * Ozias * Fisher * Darwin * Gideon * Jasper * Malcolm * Silas * Caspian * Thatcher * Ezekiel


text:
The salaries of college football coaches have always been high ŌĆö but over the past few years theyŌĆÖve skyrocketed.
According to USA TodayŌĆÖs list, the average annual salary of Football Bowl Subdivision coaches this year is $1.64 million. ThatŌĆÖs a 12 percent increase from the previous year and a 70 percent increase from 2006.
SEC coaches lead the pack with annual salaries of $5.62 million for AlabamaŌĆÖs Nick Saban and $3.751 million for LSUŌĆÖs Les Miles. Both received extensions this year. Earlier this month, Miles turned down a five-year $27.5 million offer from the 2-6 Arkansas Razorbacks that would have equated to SabanŌĆÖs annual compensation. Obviously, LSU showed Miles the money in his contract extension and guaranteed salary raise. Wisconsin, however ŌĆö who just lost 20-13 to Stanford in the Rose Bowl ŌĆöalso lost head coach Bret Bielema to Arkansas for a $19.2 million contract over six years, which equates to $3.2 million a year.
TexasŌĆÖ Mack Brown trails Saban at just over $5.4 million per year. Big-12 Champion and OregonŌĆÖs Fiesta Bowl counterpart, Kansas State, pays their coach Bill Snyder just $2.2 million annually, but hey, at least his nameŌĆÖs on the stadium.
Chip KellyŌĆÖs contract is good through 2016 and guarantees him $3.5 million this year plus $50,000 in bonuses just for making it to the Fiesta Bowl. KellyŌĆÖs contract outlines a raise of $300,000 at the end of this fiscal year putting his annual salary at $3.8 million. It will go up again for an annual salary of $4 million in the final two years of his contract.
With four BCS games in as many seasons, a national championship appearance, three conference titles and a Walter Camp Coach of the Year award on top of a combined record of 46-7, he is quite possibly the most underpaid coach in college football. It wouldnŌĆÖt be surprising to see him and his coaching staff receive contract extensions.
Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti and running backs coach Gary Campbell all received contractual raises on the first of the year totaling just $30,000. Helfrich ŌĆö who was rumored to be the ready candidate for head coach in the event that Kelly left ŌĆö will make $325,833 in 2013. AliottiŌĆÖs compensation lands at $370,000 per year and CampbellŌĆÖs at $232,000.
The market drives the price, and itŌĆÖs currently a sellerŌĆÖs market for coaches. As long as that is the case, then the trend will continue onto the next round of coaches.
In comparison to the NFL, college football still lags behind, as it should. A five-year contract extension with the New Orleans Saints is estimated to put Sean Payton over the top as the NFLŌĆÖs highest paid coach at more than $8 million. Until recently, the PatriotsŌĆÖ Bill Belichick was at the top making approximately $7.5 million per year, closely followed by Washington RedskinŌĆÖs head coach Mike Shanahan and former USC head coach now at the Seahawks, Pete Carroll.
Jim Harbaugh, the other former Pac-12 coach making a splash in the NFL is estimated to receive a cushy $5 million per year in San Francisco. ThatŌĆÖs pretty good considering he is two years out of Stanford and older brother John makes only about $4 million annually with the Ravens.


text:
You can now filter search results with text. Example: "person: john" will search only person pages for "john".
Is Laurel ready to become Black Canary?
Deadpool's had a rough time, so the guy thinks a mercenary mission will help clear his head.
Whatever is happening in the dark corners of Gotham City is only getting worse. And "better" seems to be fast slipping off the table altogether.
Publisher »
George Williams
Ellen Grace
Jesus Christ
Elvis Presley
Abraham Lincoln
The Jersey Devil
Loch Ness Monster
Benjamin Franklin
Mother Teresa
John Wilkes Booth
Sophia Baukker
Jonathan Dodsman
Frederick Douglass
James Coyle
Mr Taylor
Lily Taylor
Joanne Coyle
Absolon Danard
This edit will also create new pages on Comic Vine for:
Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Comic Vine users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.
Because you're new to wiki editing, we sent your submission off to our moderators to check it over. Most changes are approved within a few hours. We'll send an email when it is.
Once you've earned over points you'll be able to bypass this step and make live edits to our system. Until then, gain points by continuing to edit pages.
No changes were submitted, nothing was done! Please make changes to the wiki!
Thanks for continuing to improve the site. Some of your changes are now live. However, some of your changes were sent to moderation because you do not have enough points to make those live edits. You need points to live edit the changes you commited.
For the changes that went through, our robot math gave you points for this submission.
Thanks for continuing to improve the site. Your changes are now live. Our robot math gave you points for this submission.
Use your keyboard!
Log in to comment