Semiconductor low-threshhold electrode
First Claim
1. A body implantable lead comprising:
- a conductor having a proximal end and a distal end;
a sheath of body compatible material covering said conductor;
an electrical connector coupled to said proximal end of said conductor; and
an electrode coupled to said distal end of said conductor, comprising;
a metallic element of a metallic material coupled to said conductor;
a first intermediate element of a material having a resistivity greater than the resistivity of the material of said metallic element and less than 105 microohm cm, covering said metallic element; and
a distal element of body compatible material which is a semiconductor and has a resistivity in the range of 105 to 1010 microohm cm, covering said intermediate element.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrode for a body implantable lead having a semiconductor surface for the coupling of electrical signals to the body tissue. A first approach uses several materials of differing conductivities. These materials are arranged in layers such that the material having the lowest conductivity is in direct contact with body tissue. The layers are then added in increasing order of conductivity. The intersection of two materials may be abrupt or may be a smooth transition fashioned by a combination of the two materials. The second approach provides an abrupt transition from the highly conductive materials within the lead body to a semiconductor material having direct exposure to the body tissue. The conductor within the body implantable lead is preferably fabricated using drawn brazed strand coils arranged in multifilar fashion. The conductor coils are insulated using a polyurethane sheath.
36 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A body implantable lead comprising:
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a conductor having a proximal end and a distal end; a sheath of body compatible material covering said conductor; an electrical connector coupled to said proximal end of said conductor; and an electrode coupled to said distal end of said conductor, comprising; a metallic element of a metallic material coupled to said conductor; a first intermediate element of a material having a resistivity greater than the resistivity of the material of said metallic element and less than 105 microohm cm, covering said metallic element; and a distal element of body compatible material which is a semiconductor and has a resistivity in the range of 105 to 1010 microohm cm, covering said intermediate element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification