DIFFUSION BONDED LEAD CONNECTOR

• US 20110270330A1
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Tischendorf, Brad C., Janzig, Darren A., Thom, Andrew J., Paidosh, Chris J., Lindner, Gerald G.
• Application Number:
  US13/088,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270330A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/227 Sensors with electrical connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/05 for implantation or insertion into the body, e.g. heart electrode A61N1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3752 Details of casing-lead connections
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 20/026 with diffusion of soldering material
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/38 Conductors
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/172 wherein at least one of the layers is non-metallic
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/52 Ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/54 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/21 by welding
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/10 Glass or silica
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/18 on other inorganic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/34 Sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/187 with spring member in the socket
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/12 for medicine and surgery
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/0221 Laser welding H01R43/0228 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor

Abstract

A medical device lead connector includes electrically conducting contact rings spaced apart by an electrically insulating ring and in axial alignment. The electrically conducting contact ring and the insulating ring having an interface bond on an atomic level.

Claims

1. A medical device lead connector comprising:

electrically conducting contact rings spaced apart by an electrically insulating ring and in axial alignment, and the electrically conducting contact ring and the insulating ring having an interface bond on an atomic level.

2. A medical device lead connector according to claim 1, wherein the lead connector comprises a plurality of ring subassemblies fixed in axial alignment and each ring subassembly comprises the electrically insulating ceramic ring between an electrically conducting contact ring and an electrically conducting spacer ring bonded together with an interface bond on an atomic level.

3. A medical device lead connector according to claim 2, wherein adjacent ring subassemblies are welded together to form a rigid medical device lead connector.

4. A medical device lead connector according to claim 3, wherein the interface bond on an atomic level is a diffusion bond.

5. A medical device lead connector according to claim 4, wherein the electrically conducting contact ring comprises titanium or titanium alloys and the electrically insulating ring comprises sapphire or a ceramic material.

6. A medical device lead connector according to claim 5, wherein the electrically conducting contact ring comprises titanium and the electrically insulating ring comprises a metallization layer.

7. A medical device lead connector according to claim 6, wherein the metallization layer comprises niobium, platinum, titanium or combinations thereof.

8. An implantable medical device comprising:

a hermetically sealed housing defining a sealed housing interior;

a power source and electronics in electrical communication and disposed within the sealed housing interior; and

a lead connector projecting into the sealed housing interior and having an outer surface, and an inner surface defining a lead aperture, the lead connector comprising one or more electrically conducting contact rings spaced apart by electrically insulating rings and joined together with a diffusion bond, the one or more electrically conducting contact rings in electrical communication with the electronics, and the diffusion bond providing a hermetic seal between the lead connector outer surface and the lead connector inner surface.

9. An implantable medical device according to claim 8, wherein the lead connector comprises a plurality of ring subassemblies fixed in axial alignment, each ring subassembly comprises the diffusion bond fixing an electrically insulating ring between an electrically conducting contact ring and an electrically conducting spacer ring.

10. An implantable medical device according to claim 9, wherein the diffusion bond directly bonds the electrically conducting contact ring and the electrically conducting spacer ring with the electrically insulating ring.

11. An implantable medical device according to claim 10, wherein adjacent ring subassemblies are welded together for form a rigid lead connector.

12. An implantable medical device according to claim 11, wherein the electrically conducting contact ring comprises titanium or titanium alloys and the electrically insulating ring comprises sapphire or a ceramic material.

13. An implantable medical device according to claim 12, wherein the electrically conducting contact ring comprises titanium and the electrically insulating ring comprises a metallization layer.

14. An implantable medical device according to claim 13, wherein the metallization layer comprises niobium, platinum, titanium or combinations thereof.

15. A method of forming a medical device lead connector comprising:

diffusion bonding an electrically insulating ring between a first electrically conducting contact ring and a second electrically conducting contact ring to form a joined element; and

joining an plurality of joined elements in axial alignment to form a lead connector.

16. A method of forming a medical device lead connector according to claim 15, wherein the joining step comprises welding a plurality of joined elements in axial alignment to form a lead connector.

17. A method of forming a medical device lead connector according to claim 15, wherein the joining step comprises diffusion bonding a plurality of joined elements in axial alignment to form a lead connector.

18. A method of forming a medical device lead connector according to claim 17, further comprising sputtering a metallization layer onto the electrically insulating ring before the diffusion bonding step.

19. A method of forming a medical device lead connector according to claim 18, wherein the diffusion bonding step occurs at a temperature of less than 1000 degrees centigrade.

20. A method of forming a medical device lead connector according to claim 19, further comprising placing the lead connector element within a hermetic envelope of an active medical device.

21. A method of forming a medical device lead connector according to claim 20, further comprising electrically connecting the lead connector element to a feedthrough of an active medical device.