# US 2021/0330984 A1 · Feedthrough system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0330984 A1 - Document ID: US20210330984A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/240,430 - Filed: 2021-04-26 - Published: 2021-10-28 - Earliest claimed: 2020-04-28 - Assignees: Heraeus Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG - Applicants: Heraeus Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG - Inventors: Beytullah Yasin KILIC; Leoni WILHELM; Jakob FISCHER; Jens TRÖTZSCHEL - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210330984A1 ## CPC - A61N 1/3754: {Feedthroughs} - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - B22F 7/062: {involving the connection or repairing of preformed parts} - B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] - H01B 17/303: {Sealing of leads to lead-through insulators} - H01R 13/5224: {for medical use} - B22F 7/08: with one or more parts not made from powder {(B22F7/062 takes precedence)} - B22F 2998/10: Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps - H01R 2201/12: for medicine and surgery - H10W 20/20: Interconnections within wafers or substrates, e.g. through-silicon vias [TSV] - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER - H01B: CABLES; CONDUCTORS; INSULATORS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR CONDUCTIVE, INSULATING OR DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES (selection for magnetic properties H01F1/00; waveguides H01P {; printed circuits H05K}) - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract One aspect is a feedthrough system including a) a feedthrough including i) an insulating body, ii) an electrically conductive pathway, wherein an end of the electrically conductive pathway is level with a surface of the insulating body, iii) an electrically conductive pad, wherein the electrically conductive pad is attached to the level end of the electrically conductive pathway, b) an electrical contact element including a metal, wherein the electrical contact element is attached to the level end of the electrically conductive pathway by a joint microstructure, or wherein, when the feedthrough includes an electrically conductive pad, the electrical contact element is attached to the electrically conductive pad by a joint microstructure. Furthermore, the present embodiment refers to a process for preparing the inventive feedthrough system, and to a device including the inventive feedthrough system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A feedthrough system comprising: a) a feedthrough comprising i) an insulating body, ii) an electrically conductive pathway, wherein an end of the electrically conductive pathway is level with a surface of the insulating body, and b) an electrical contact element comprising a metal, wherein the electrical contact element is attached to the level end of the electrically conductive pathway by a joint microstructure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The feedthrough system according to claim 1, wherein the feedthrough comprises an electrically conductive pad, and wherein the electrically conductive pad is a cermet pad. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The feedthrough system according to claim 1, wherein the feedthrough comprises an electrically conductive pad, wherein the electrically conductive pad has a first component being a cermet pad and a second component being a metal pad, wherein the first component is attached to the electrically conductive pathway, and wherein at least the second component is attached to the electrical contact element. ### Claim 4 A feedthrough system comprising: a) a feedthrough comprising i) an insulating body, ii) an electrically conductive pathway, wherein an end of the electrically conductive pathway is level with a surface of the insulating body, iii) an electrically conductive pad, wherein the electrically conductive pad is attached to the level end of the electrically conductive pathway, b) an electrical contact element comprising a metal, wherein the electrical contact element is attached to the level end of the electrically conductive pathway by a joint microstructure, or wherein the electrical contact element is attached to the electrically conductive pad by a joint microstructure. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The feedthrough system according to claim 4, wherein the insulating body is a multi-layer ceramic body. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The feedthrough system according to claim 4, wherein the electrically conductive pathway is a cermet pathway. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The feedthrough system according to claim 6, wherein the cermet pathway comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of platinum, gold, iridium, niobium, molybdenum, titanium, cobalt, zirconium, chromium, tantalum, tungsten, and alloys of each one of these metals, and preferably the metal is platinum or a platinum alloy, or wherein the cermet pathway comprises a ceramic component selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon oxide, zirconium dioxide, zirconium oxide-toughened aluminum oxide, yttrium-toughened zirconium oxide, aluminum nitride, piezoceramic materials, barium(Zr, Ti) oxide, barium(CE, Ti) oxide, and sodium-potassium-niobate, and preferably the ceramic component is aluminum oxide. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The feedthrough system according to claim 4, wherein the electrical contact element comprises a biocompatible metal, preferably selected from the group consisting of platinum, gold, iridium, steel, titanium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, cobalt, chromium, zirconium, rhenium, tungsten, molybdenum, and alloys of each one of these metals, and mixtures thereof, and more preferably from the group consisting of platinum and platinum/iridium alloys. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The feedthrough system according to claim 4, wherein the electrical contact element comprises a first component consisting of a first metal, and second component consisting of a second metal being different to the first metal, wherein the first component is attached to the electrically conductive feedthrough, or to the optional electrically conductive pad, and wherein the second component is attached to the first component. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The feedthrough system according to claim 4, wherein the electrical contact element has the three dimensional form of a hollow body, preferably the form of a blind hole or a through hole. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The feedthrough system according to claim 10, wherein the hollow body comprises on its inner surface a fixing element. ### Claim 12 (depends on 4) The feedthrough system according to claim 4, wherein the electrical contact element has a height of in the range of from 10 μm to 5 mm, and wherein the electrical contact element has a width in the range of from 10 μm to 10 mm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The feedthrough system according to claim 4, wherein the electrical contact element and the joint microstructure is obtained by a selective laser melting process. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The feedthrough system according to claim 4, wherein the feedthrough system is a feedthrough system for an implantable medical device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 4) A process for preparing a feedthrough system according to claim 4 comprising: 1) providing a feedthrough comprising i) an insulating body, ii) an electrically conductive pathway, wherein an end of the electrically conductive pathway is level with a surface of the insulating body, and iii) an electrically conductive pad on the level end of the electrically conductive pathway, wherein the electrically conductive pad is attached to the level end of the electrically conductive pathway, 2) depositing a metal onto the level end of the electrically conductive pathway by a metal additive manufacturing process to obtain an electrical contact element, wherein the electrical contact element is attached to the level end of the electrically conductive feedthrough by a joint microstructure, or depositing a metal onto the electrically conductive pad by a metal additive manufacturing process to obtain an electrical contact element, wherein the electrical contact element is attached to the electrically conductive pad by a joint microstructure. ### Claim 16 (depends on 4) A device comprising the feedthrough system according to claim 4.