US 7,068,491 B1 · Implantable co-fired electrical interconnect systems and devices and methods of fabrication therefor

Abstract

The invention includes a family of miniaturized, hermetic electrical feedthrough assemblies having at least one passive electrical component electrically coupled to a conductive pathway traversing each said assembly which are adapted for implantation within a biological system. The electrical feedthrough assembly according to the invention can be used as a component of an implantable medical device (IMD) such as an implantable pulse generator, cardioverter-defibrillator, physiologic sensor, drug-delivery system and the like. Such assemblies require biocompatibility and resistance to degradation under applied bias current or voltage. Such an assembly is fabricated by interconnected electrical pathways, or vias, of a conductive metallic paste disposed between ceramic green-state material. The layers are stacked together and sintered to form a substantially monolithic dielectric structure with at least one embedded metallization pathway extending through the structure.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A hermetic electrical interconnect for an implantable medical device (IMD), comprising:

a monolithic structure derived from at least three discrete ceramic green-sheet layers having at least one continuous electrical pathway disposed through at least one bore coupling opposing major surfaces of each of the at least three layers;
and
a first pole of a first passive electrical component coupled to the at least one continuous electrical pathway, wherein said at least one electrical component physically couples to a recessed region of the monolithic structure,
wherein said monolithic structure and the first passive electrical component are hermetically coupled to an IMD.

1 more element

A hermetic electrical interconnect structure adapted for use in an implantable medical device (IMD), comprising:

a multi-layer integrated and co-fired structure, said co-fired structure further including:
at least three layers of a ceramic material with each of said at least three layers having an aperture formed therethrough and wherein the ceramic material possesses a characteristic coefficient of thermal expansion;
a volume of a conductive metallic sintered-paste at least partially filling the aperture of said at least three layers, said metallic sintered-paste having a characteristic coefficient of thermal expansion approximately the same as the characteristic coefficient of thermal expansion of said ceramic material;
a metallic interlayer disposed in contact with the aperture of said at least three layers, said metallic interlayer also having a characteristic coefficient of thermal expansion approximately the same as the characteristic coefficient of thermal expansion of said ceramic material;
and
a first pole of a first passive electrical component coupled to at least one of the metallic sintered-paste and the metallic interlayer, wherein said first passive electrical component physically couples to a recessed region formed a portion of one of the at least three layers of ceramic material;
and
a ferrule member hermetically coupled to a lateral periphery of said multi-layer integrated and co-fired structure, wherein said ferrule member is adapted for hermetic insertion into an aperture formed in one of a housing for an IMD.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Implantable co-fired electrical interconnect systems and devices and methods of fabrication therefor

Life of this patent

Implantable co-fired electrical interconnect systems and devices and methods of fabrication therefor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20