Implantable living tissue stimulator with an improved hermetic metal container
First Claim
1. In an implantable living tissue stimulator of the type including a plurality of circuit means, the improvement comprising:
- hermetic means for hermetically sealing at least some of said circuit means, said hermetic means comprising a hermetic container formed of a thin layer of metal of a thickness definable as T, said metal being characterized by an electrical resistivity definable as ρ
, where T/ρ
<
0.03, T being in mils and ρ
in microhm-cm, said metal layer being impervious to body saline fluid and gases.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable hermetically sealed living tissue stimulator which includes a coil in which current is induced by an external alternating magnetic field is disclosed. All the stimulator circuit components except for one or more electrode leads are hermetically sealed within a hermetic container formed of a biocompatible metal of a thickness T, and having an electrical resistivity ρ, where T/ρ ≦ 0.03, T being in mils and ρ in microhm-cm. The metal thickness T is not more than 5 mils and preferably not more than 3 mils, and the electrical resistivity ρ is not less than 75 microhm-cm and preferably not less than 100 microhm-cm, in order to reduce the portion of power induced in the stimulator by the magnetic field which is dissipated as heat in the hermetic metal container and to increase the portion of the induced power which penetrates the container and induces the current in the coil.
250 Citations
15 Claims
-
1. In an implantable living tissue stimulator of the type including a plurality of circuit means, the improvement comprising:
hermetic means for hermetically sealing at least some of said circuit means, said hermetic means comprising a hermetic container formed of a thin layer of metal of a thickness definable as T, said metal being characterized by an electrical resistivity definable as ρ
, where T/ρ
<
0.03, T being in mils and ρ
in microhm-cm, said metal layer being impervious to body saline fluid and gases.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
8. For use with a device implantable in a living body, said device including circuitry, a hermetically sealing container formed of a biocompatible metal for containing said circuitry to prevent body saline fluid from coming in contact with said circuitry, the container being formed of a metal characterized by an electrical resistivity definable as ρ
- , and of a thickness T, T/ρ
being not greater than 0.02, where ρ
is in microhm-cm and T is in mils. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
- , and of a thickness T, T/ρ
Specification