Hermetic Feedthrough Assembly for Ceramic Body

• US 20140309510A1
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mcnair Interests Limited
• Original Assignee: GlySens, Incorporated
• Inventors: Lucisano, Joseph Y., Calou, Richard E., Catlin, Mark B., Lin, Joe T., Routh, Timothy L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,782,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/347
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1473 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter A61B5/1482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/486 Via connections through the substrate with or without pins
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/10 characterised by the material or arrangement of seals between parts, e.g. between cap and base of the container or between leads and walls of the container
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/15 Ceramic or glass substrates H01L23/142, H01L23/145, H01L23/147 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49827 Via connections through the substrates, e.g. pins going through the substrate, coaxial cables H01L23/49822, H01L23/49833, H01L23/4985, H01L23/49861 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors of trolley lines B60M1/28
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0047 Drilling of holes
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0055 After-treatment, e.g. cleaning or desmearing of holes
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/103 by bonding or embedding conductive wires or strips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49147 Assembling terminal to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49162 by using wire as conductive path
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49176 with molding of electrically insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49222 forming array of contacts or terminals

Abstract

A wire extends through a ceramic body. The wire comprises a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and alloys of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium. The wire directly contacts the ceramic body to form a substantially hermetic seal between the ceramic body and the wire.

Claims

1. A feedthrough assembly formed from a method comprising:

providing a green ceramic body;

forming a through-hole in the green ceramic body having a first diameter;

inserting a corrosion-resistant solid wire through the hole, the wire comprising a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and alloys of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium, and the wire having a second diameter;

firing the green ceramic body to sinter it thereby forming a sintered ceramic body; and

the first and second diameters being selected such that cracking of the sintered ceramic body adjacent the wire as a result of dimensional changes of the green ceramic body during firing is avoided and a substantially hermetic seal is formed between the sintered ceramic body and the wire.

2. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, further comprising an electrode connected to a first end of the wire.

3. The feedthrough assembly of claim 2, wherein the electrode is substantially coplanar with a surface of the sintered ceramic body.

4. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, wherein the hermetic seal is a diffusion bond between the metal wire and the sintered ceramic body.

5. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, wherein the wire has a diameter of less than about 0.020 inches.

6. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, wherein the ceramic body comprises primarily compounds selected from the group consisting of oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides and silicides of aluminum, zirconium, beryllium, silicon, titanium, hafnium, magnesium, zinc and yttrium.

7. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, wherein the green ceramic body has a thickness of less than about 0.10 inches.

8. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, wherein the wire has a diameter of less than about 0.020 inches and the green ceramic body has a thickness of less than about 0.10 inches.

9. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, wherein the metal wire has a substantially round cross-section or a substantially conical shape.

10. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, wherein the segment of wire contacting the ceramic body has a substantially spherical shape.

11. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, further comprising a contact pad connected to a second end of the wire.

12. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1, wherein the green ceramic body has a thickness of at least 0.050 inches.

13. A feedthrough assembly formed from a method comprising:

providing a green ceramic body that surrounds a corrosion-resistant wire extending through the green ceramic body, the wire comprising a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and alloys of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium; and

firing the green ceramic body to sinter it, thereby forming a sintered ceramic body;

whereby cracking of the sintered ceramic body adjacent the wire as a result of dimensional changes of the green ceramic body during firing is avoided and a substantially hermetic seal is formed between the sintered ceramic body and the wire.

14. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, further comprising an electrode connected to a first end of the wire.

15. The feedthrough assembly of claim 14, wherein the electrode is substantially coplanar with a surface of the sintered ceramic body.

16. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, wherein the hermetic seal is a diffusion bond between the metal wire and the sintered ceramic body.

17. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, wherein the wire has a diameter of less than about 0.020 inches.

18. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, wherein the ceramic body comprises primarily compounds selected from the group consisting of oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides and silicides of aluminum, zirconium, beryllium, silicon, titanium, hafnium, magnesium, zinc and yttrium.

19. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, wherein the green ceramic body has a thickness of less than about 0.10 inches.

20. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, wherein the wire has a diameter of less than about 0.020 inches and the green ceramic body has a thickness of less than about 0.10 inches.

21. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, wherein the wire has a substantially round cross-section or a substantially conical shape.

22. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, wherein the segment of wire contacting the ceramic body has a substantially spherical shape.

23. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, further comprising a contact pad connected to a second end of the wire.

24. The feedthrough assembly of claim 13, wherein the green ceramic body has a thickness of at least 0.050 inches.

25. A multi-conductor feedthrough assembly formed from a method comprising:

providing a green ceramic body;

forming at least two through-holes in the green ceramic body, each through-hole having a first or second diameter;

inserting a corrosion-resistant solid wire through each through-hole, each wire comprising a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and alloys of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium, and each wire having a third or fourth diameter;

firing the green ceramic body to sinter it, thereby forming a sintered ceramic body; and

the first, second, third and fourth diameters being selected such that cracking of the sintered ceramic body adjacent each wire as a result of dimensional changes of the green ceramic body during firing is avoided and a substantially hermetic seal is formed between the sintered ceramic body and each wire.

26. A multi-conductor feedthrough assembly formed from a method comprising:

providing a green ceramic body that surrounds a plurality of corrosion-resistant wires extending through the green ceramic body, the wires each comprising a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and alloys of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium; and

firing the green ceramic body to sinter it, thereby forming a sintered ceramic body;

whereby cracking of the sintered ceramic body adjacent each of the plurality of wires as a result of dimensional changes of the green ceramic body during firing is avoided and a substantially hermetic seal is formed between the sintered ceramic body and each of the plurality of wires.

27. An implantable glucose-level sensing device, comprising a feedthrough assembly formed from a method comprising:

providing a green ceramic body;

forming a through-hole in the green ceramic body having a first diameter;

inserting a corrosion-resistant solid wire through the hole, the wire comprising a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and alloys of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium, and the wire having a second diameter;

firing the green ceramic body to sinter it, thereby forming a sintered ceramic body; and

the first and second diameters being selected such that cracking of the sintered ceramic body adjacent the wire as a result of dimensional changes of the green ceramic body during firing is avoided and a substantially hermetic seal is formed between the sintered ceramic body and the wire.

28. An implantable glucose-level sensing device, comprising a feedthrough assembly formed from a method comprising:

providing a green ceramic body that surrounds at least a portion of a corrosion-resistant wire extending through the green ceramic body, the wire comprising a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and alloys of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium; and

firing the green ceramic body to sinter it, thereby providing a sintered ceramic body;

whereby cracking of the sintered ceramic body adjacent the wire as a result of dimensional changes of the green ceramic body during firing is avoided and a substantially hermetic seal is formed between the sintered ceramic body and the wire.