US 10,559,409 B2Granted

Process for manufacturing a leadless feedthrough for an active implantable medical device

AssigneeGreatbatch Ltd.

InventorsKeith W. Seitz, Dallas J. Rensel, Brian P. Hohl, Jonathan Calamel, Xiaohong Tang, Robert A. Stevenson, Christine A. Frysz, Thomas Marzano, Jason Woods, Richard L. Brendel

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a feedthrough dielectric body for an active implantable medical device includes the steps of first forming a ceramic reinforced metal composite (CRMC) paste by mixing platinum with a ceramic material to form a CRMC material, subjecting the CRMC material to a first sintering step to thereby form a sintered CRMC material, ball-milling or grinding the sintered CRMC material to form a powdered CRMC material; and then mixing the powdered CRMC material with a solvent to form the CRMC paste. The method further includes forming an alumina ceramic body in a green state, forming at least one via hole through the alumina ceramic body, filling the via hole with the CRMC paste, drying the ceramic body including the CRMC paste to form a first CRMC material filling the via hole, forming a second via hole through the first CRMC material, providing a metal core in the second via hole, and subjecting the ceramic body including the first CRMC material and the metal core to a second sintering step to thereby form the dielectric body. The dielectric body is then sealed in a ferrule opening to form a feedthrough.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A method for manufacturing a feedthrough that is configured for incorporation into an active implantable medical device (AIMD), the method comprising the steps of:

a) forming a first sintered ceramic reinforced metal composite (CRMC) paste, comprising the steps of:
i) mixing platinum with a first ceramic material to form a first CRMC material;
ii) subjecting the first CRMC material to a first sintering step to thereby form a first sintered CRMC material;
iii) ball-milling or grinding the first sintered CRMC material to form a first powdered sintered CRMC material;
and
iv) mixing the first powdered sintered CRMC material with a solvent to form the first sintered CRMC paste;
b) forming a green-state ceramic body, comprising the steps of:
i) forming a ceramic body in a green state, the green-state ceramic body having a ceramic body body fluid side opposite a ceramic body device side, wherein, when the feedthrough is attached to a housing for the AIMD, the ceramic body fluid side resides outside the AIMD and the ceramic body device side resides inside the AIMD;
ii) forming at least one first via hole comprising a first via hole inner surface extending along a longitudinal axis through the green-state ceramic body to the body fluid and device sides;
iii) filling the at least one first via hole in the green-state ceramic body with the first sintered CRMC paste extending to a first sintered CRMC paste first end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body fluid side and a first sintered CRMC paste second end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body device side;
iv) drying the green-state ceramic body including the first sintered CRMC paste to thereby form a second CRMC material filling the at least one first via hole in the ceramic body;
v) forming a second via hole extending through the second CRMC material to the ceramic body fluid and device sides so that an inner surface of the second CRMC material is spaced closer to the longitudinal axis than the first via hole inner surface;
vi) providing a substantially pure metal core in the second via hole;
and
vii) subjecting the green-state ceramic body including the second CRMC material and the substantially pure metal core to a second sintering step to thereby form a sintered ceramic body comprising the second CRMC material surrounding the substantially pure metal core;
and
c) providing an electrically conductive ferrule comprising a ferrule opening;
and
d) hermetically sealing the sintered ceramic body to the ferrule in the ferrule opening.

16 more elements

A method for manufacturing a feedthrough, the method comprising the steps of:

a) forming a green-state ceramic body, comprising the steps of:
i) forming an alumina ceramic body in a green state, the green-state alumina ceramic body having a ceramic body first side opposite a ceramic body second side;
and
ii) forming at least one via hole extending through the green-state alumina ceramic body to the ceramic body first and second sides;
b) providing a thermally-stable CRMC paste, comprising the steps of:
i) mixing platinum with a ceramic material to form a first CRMC material;
ii) heat-treating the first CRMC material to a temperature that is sufficient to form a thermally-stable CRMC material;
iii) ball-milling or grinding the thermally-stable CRMC material to form a powdered thermally-stable CRMC material;
and
iv) mixing the powdered thermally-stable CRMC material with a solvent to form the thermally-stable CRMC paste;
c) filling the at least one via hole in the green-state alumina ceramic body with the thermally-stable CRMC paste extending to a thermally-stable CRMC paste first end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body first side and to a thermally-stable CRMC paste second end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body second side;
d) drying the green-state alumina ceramic body including the thermally-stable CRMC paste to thereby form a second CRMC material filling the at least one via hole in the alumina ceramic body;
e) forming a second via hole extending through the second CRMC material to the ceramic body first and second sides, the second via hole being smaller in diameter than the at least one via hole so that a portion of the second CRMC material remains in the at least one via hole;
f) forming at least one counterbore or countersink in the green-state alumina ceramic body from either the ceramic body first side or the ceramic body second side;
g) filling the second via hole and the counterbore or countersink with a substantially pure metal paste;
and
h) sintering the green-state alumina ceramic body including the second CRMC material and the substantially pure metal paste to thereby form a sintered ceramic body comprising the second CRMC material surrounding the substantially pure metal core;
and
i) providing an electrically conductive ferrule comprising a ferrule opening;
and
j) hermetically sealing the sintered ceramic body to the ferrule in the ferrule opening.

18 more elements

A method for manufacturing a feedthrough, the method comprising the steps of:

a) forming a green-state ceramic body, comprising the steps of:
i) forming an alumina ceramic body in a green state, the green-state alumina ceramic body having a ceramic body first side opposite a ceramic body second side;
and
ii) forming at least one via hole comprising a first via hole inner surface extending along a longitudinal axis through the green-state alumina ceramic body to the ceramic body first and second sides;
b) providing a thermally-stable CRMC paste, comprising the steps of:
i) mixing platinum with, by weight or volume, about 15% to about 80% of a ceramic material to form a first CRMC material;
ii) heat-treating the first CRMC material to form a thermally-stable CRMC material;
iii) ball-milling or grinding the thermally-stable CRMC material to form a powdered thermally-stable CRMC material;
and
iv) mixing the powdered thermally-stable CRMC material with a solvent to form a thermally-stable CRMC paste;
c) filling the at least one via hole in the green-state alumina ceramic body with the thermally-stable CRMC paste extending to a thermally-stable CRMC paste first end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body first side and to a thermally-stable CRMC paste second end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body second side;
d) drying the green-state alumina ceramic body including the thermally-stable CRMC paste to thereby provide a second CRMC material filling the at least one via hole in the alumina ceramic body;
e) forming at least one counterbore or countersink in the second CRMC material from either the ceramic body first side or the ceramic body second side;
f) filling the counterbore or countersink with a substantially pure metal paste;
g) sintering the green-state alumina ceramic body including the second CRMC material and the substantially pure metal paste to thereby form a sintered ceramic body comprising the second CRMC material surrounding the substantially pure metal core;
h) providing an electrically conductive ferrule comprising a ferrule opening;
and
i) hermetically sealing the sintered ceramic body to the ferrule in the ferrule opening.

15 more elements

A method for manufacturing a feedthrough, the method comprising the steps of:

a) forming a green-state ceramic body, comprising the steps of:
i) forming a ceramic body in a green state, the green-state ceramic body having a ceramic body first side opposite a ceramic body second side;
and
ii) forming at least one first via hole comprising a first via hole inner surface extending along a longitudinal axis through the green-state ceramic body to the ceramic body first and second sides;
b) providing a thermally-stable CRMC paste, comprising the steps of:
i) mixing platinum with, by weight or volume, about 15% to about 80% of a ceramic material to form a first CRMC material;
ii) heat-treating the first CRMC material to form a thermally-stable CRMC material;
iii) ball-milling or grinding the thermally-stable CRMC material to form a powdered thermally-stable CRMC material;
and
iv) mixing the powdered thermally-stable CRMC material with a solvent to form a thermally-stable CRMC paste;
c) filling the at least one first via in the green-state ceramic body hole with the thermally-stable CRMC paste extending to a thermally-stable CRMC paste first end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body first side and to a thermally-stable CRMC paste second end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body second side;
d) drying the green-state ceramic body including the thermally-stable CRMC paste to thereby form a second CRMC material filling the at least one first via hole in the ceramic body;
e) forming a second via hole extending through the second CRMC material to the ceramic body first and second sides so that an inner surface of the second CRMC material is spaced toward the longitudinal axis with respect to the first via hole inner surface;
f) providing a platinum core in the second via hole;
g) sintering the green-state ceramic body including the second CRMC material and the platinum core to thereby form a sintered ceramic body comprising the second CRMC material surrounding the substantially pure metal core;
h) providing an electrically conductive ferrule comprising a ferrule opening;
and
i) hermetically sealing the sintered ceramic body to the ferrule in the ferrule opening.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/362,862Filed 25 Mar 2019 · continuation
Priority: 6 Jan 2017
Published: US 2019/0244729 A18 Aug 2019
Granted: 11 Feb 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

H01B 17/30
Lead-in insulators; Lead-through insulators: sealing
A61N 1/3754
Details of casing-lead connections: feedthroughs
B23K 1/0016
Specially adapted for particular articles or work: soldering of electronic components
B23K 1/008
Soldering, e.g. brazing, or unsoldering: soldering within a furnace

Family

Application62/443,011Us provisional application · filed 6 Jan 2017
Application62/450,187Us provisional application · filed 25 Jan 2017
Application62/461,872Us provisional application · filed 22 Feb 2017
Application62/552,363Us provisional application · filed 30 Aug 2017
Application15/797,278Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 Oct 2017
Application62/613,500Us provisional application · filed 4 Jan 2018
Application15/863,194Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Jan 2018
US 2019/0244729 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Aug 2019
US 10,249,415 B2Parent of this continuation
US 10,272,253 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application15/863,194Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2018/0126176 A1Published application
US 2018/0197661 A1Published application
US 10,559,409 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.