Insulator having a sintered platinum-alumina conductive pathway for a feedthrough for an implantable device
AssigneeGreatbatch Ltd.
InventorsChristine A. Frysz, Dallas J. Rensel, Brian P. Hohl, Jonathan Calamel, Xiaohong (Shawn) Tang
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Abstract
A ceramic reinforced metal composite (CRMC) comprising a composition composite as an interpenetrating network of at least two interconnected composites is described. The interpenetrating networks comprise a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) and a metal matrix composite (MMC). The composition composite is particularly useful as an electrically conductive pathway extending through the insulator or ceramic body of a hermetically sealed component, for example, a feedthrough in an active implantable medical device (AIMD).
Claims17
An insulator for a feedthrough for a medical device, the insulator comprising:
- a) a green-state alumina insulator extending to an insulator first side spaced from an insulator second side;
- b) at least one via hole extending through the green-state alumina insulator to the insulator first and second sides;
- and
- c) a composite particle powder residing in the at least one via hole in the green-state alumina insulator, the composite particle powder consisting of platinum particles that are mechanically connected and chemically bonded to alumina particles without the alumina particles having been sintered to each other or having undergone a phase change, wherein the platinum-alumina composite particles comprising the powder range in size from about 1 μm to about 50 μm, and
- d) wherein the platinum-alumina composite particle powder residing in the at least one via hole in the green-state alumina insulator as an assembly is characterized as having been co-sintered to a temperature >1,000° C. to provide a sintered platinum-alumina conductive pathway extending to or adjacent to the first and second sides of a sintered alumina insulator.
A composite particle powder, consisting of platinum particles mixed with alumina (Al2O3) particles, wherein the mixed platinum and alumina particles are characterized as having been heated to a temperature that ranges from about 400° C. to about 900° C. to mechanically connect and chemically bond the platinum to the alumina without the alumina particles having been sintered to each other or having undergone a phase change, and wherein the platinum-alumina composite particles comprising the powder range in size from about 1 μm to about 50 μm.
An assembly, comprising:
- a) a green-state alumina insulator extending to an insulator first side spaced from an insulator second side;
- b) at least one via hole extending through the green-state alumina insulator to the insulator first and second sides;
- and
- c) a composite particle powder consisting of platinum particles mixed with alumina particles, wherein the mixed platinum and alumina particles are characterized as having been heated to a temperature that ranges from about 400° C. to about 900° C. to mechanically connect and chemically bond the platinum to the alumina without the alumina particles having been sintered to each other or having undergone a phase change, and wherein the platinum-alumina composite particles comprising the powder range in size from about 1 μm to about 50 μm, and
- d) wherein the platinum-alumina composite particles powder resides in the at least one via hole in the green-state alumina insulator as an assembly and the assembly is characterized as having been co-sintered to a temperature >1,000° C. to provide a sintered platinum-alumina conductive pathway extending to or adjacent to the first and second sides of a sintered alumina insulator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.