A Ceramic Reinforced Metal Composite For Hermetic Bodies For Implantable Devices

A method for providing a ceramic reinforced metal composite (CRMC), comprising the steps of:

• a) forming a composite particle powder of metal-containing particles and ceramic particles with a first solvent;
• b) drying the composite particle powder to remove the first solvent and form a dry mixed particle powder;
• c) attriting the dry mixed particle powder to reduce the size of the dry mixed particles and form an attrited dry mixed particle powder;
• d) partially sintering the attrited dry mixed particle powder to soften the metal particles so that the metal flows over and coalesces with the ceramic particles to form a partially sintered dry mixed particle composition;
• e) grinding the partially sintered dry mixed particle material to form a composite particle powder;
• and
• f) mixing the composite particle powder with a second solvent to form a flowable ceramic reinforced metal composite (CRMC) comprising an interpenetrating network of a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) of a ceramic matrix within which metal-containing particles are embedded interconnected with a metal matrix composite (MMC) of a metal matrix within which ceramic particles are embedded, wherein the CMC and MMC intertwine about, through and around each other.

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 ceramic reinforced metal composite (CRMC), comprising the steps of:
• i) forming a composite particle powder of metal-containing particles and ceramic particles with a first solvent;
• ii) drying the composite particle powder to remove the first solvent and form a dry mixed particle powder;
• iii) attriting the dry mixed particle powder to form an attrited dry mixed particle powder;
• iv) partially sintering the attrited dry mixed particle powder to soften the metal particles so that the metal flows over and coalesces with the ceramic particles to form a partially sintered dry mixed particle material;
• v) grinding the partially sintered dry mixed particle material to form a composite particle powder;
• and
• vi) mixing the composite particle powder with a second solvent to form a ceramic reinforced metal composite (CRMC) paste comprising an interpenetrating network of a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) of a ceramic matrix within which metal-containing particles are embedded interconnected with a metal matrix composite (MMC) of a metal matrix within which ceramic particles are embedded, wherein the CMC and MMC intertwine about, through and around each other;
• 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 first side opposite a ceramic body second side;
• ii) forming at least one first via hole extending through the green-state ceramic body to the first and second sides;
• iii) filling the at least one first via hole in the green-state ceramic body with the CRMC paste extending to a CRMC paste first end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body first side and a CRMC paste second end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body second side;
• iv) drying the green-state ceramic body including the CRMC paste to thereby form a dried CRMC material filling the at least one first via hole in the ceramic body;
• and
• v) subjecting the green-state ceramic body including the dried CRMC material to a second sintering step to thereby transform green-state ceramic body into a sintered ceramic body and to transform the dried CRMC material into an electrically conductive pathway hermetically sealed in the via hole extending through a sintered ceramic body;
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• 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.