Electrical feedthrough assembly

• US 8,552,311 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2010
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Bionics LLC (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Bionics (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Koester, Kurt J., Beerling, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Vortman, Anatoly
• Application Number:
  US12/836,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20120012374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 174262-266, 174/650, 174/360, 174/258, 257/698, 257/E23.011, 257/182, 438/667
• US Class Current: 174/262
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36036 of the outer, middle or inner ear
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3754 Feedthroughs
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 1/0016 Brazing of electronic components
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 1/19 taking account of the properties of the materials to be soldered
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/12 Vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/36 Electric or electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/14 Titanium or alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/18 Dissimilar materials
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/52 Ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/28 of curved planar seams
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0238 layered
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/3013 Au as the principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/32 with the principal constituent melting at more than 1550 degrees C
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/322 a Pt-group metal as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/018 one layer being formed of a noble metal or a noble metal alloy
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 32/00 Non-ferrous alloys containing at least 5% by weight but less than 50% by weight of oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides, silicides or other metal compounds, e.g. oxynitrides, sulfides, whether added as such or formed in situ
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 5/04 Alloys based on a platinum group metal
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/069 Other details of the casing, e.g. wall structure, passage for a connector, a cable, a shaft
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

An electrical feedthrough includes a ceramic body and a ribbon via extending through the ceramic body, an interface between the ribbon via and the ceramic body being sealed using partial transient liquid phase bonding. The ribbon via extends out of the ceramic body and makes an electrical connection with an external device.

Claims

1. An electrical feedthrough comprising:

a ceramic body; and

ribbon vias extending through the ceramic body, the ribbon vias extending out of at least one surface of the ceramic body, wherein a width of the ribbon vias vary through a thickness of the ceramic body, wherein the ribbon vias comprise a fan out configuration with ribbon vias spaced more densely on one side of the ceramic body and spaced farther apart on an opposite side of the ceramic body.

2. The feedthrough of claim 1, in which the ribbon vias comprise platinum.

3. The feedthrough of claim 2, in which the ribbon vias further comprise a niobium layer disposed over said platinum.

4. The feedthrough of claim 1, in which voids surrounding the ribbon vias are filled by a transient liquid phase comprising an alloy of platinum and niobium.

5. The feedthrough of claim 1, in which the ceramic body is formed from green ceramic sheets.

6. The feedthrough of claim 5, in which a diffusion zone between niobium and platinum is formed during inclusion sintering of the green ceramic sheets.

7. The feedthrough of claim 1, in which the ribbon vias are formed from a platinum foil having a thickness of 100 microns or less, a niobium layer being deposited on at least one surface of the platinum foil.

8. The feedthrough of claim 1, in which the feedthrough is less than 2.5 mm in height, the feedthrough being brazed into an aperture in a hermetic case.

9. The feedthrough of claim 1, in which the ribbon vias form serpentine conduction paths through the ceramic body.

10. The feedthrough of claim 1, in which a first planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a first portion of the ceramic body and a second planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a second portion of the ceramic body.

11. The feedthrough of claim 1, wherein the ribbon vias extend out of both sides of the ceramic body.

12. The feedthrough of claim 2, wherein the ribbon vias further comprise a tantalum layer disposed over said platinum, in which the partial transient liquid phase bond comprises an alloy of tantalum and platinum.

13. The feedthrough of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the diffusion zone comprises a eutectic composition of platinum and niobium.

14. The feedthrough of claim 13, further comprising a hypereutectic composition of platinum and niobium filling voids surrounding the ribbon vias.

15. The feedthrough of claim 1, wherein:

a first planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a left portion of the ceramic body, the first group comprising serpentine vias each comprising a shape with at least one right turn and at least one left turn; and

a second planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a right portion of the ceramic body, the second group comprising serpentine vias each comprising a shape with at least one right turn and at least one left turn.

16. The feedthrough of claim 15, wherein the serpentine vias comprise a diffusion path length at an interface between the ribbon vias and ceramic body, the diffusion path length being greater than a thickness of the ceramic body.

17. The feedthrough of claim 1, further comprising a ground plane embedded in the ceramic body and underlying the ribbon vias.

18. The feedthrough of claim 17, further comprising an additional conductive layer comprising ribbon vias underlying the ground plane.

19. The feedthrough of claim 9, in which a first planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a first portion of the ceramic body and a second planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a second portion of the ceramic body.

20. The feedthrough of claim 10, wherein a first planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a first left hand portion of the ceramic body and a second planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a second right hand portion of the ceramic body.

21. An electrical feedthrough assembly comprising:

a ceramic body; and

a plurality of ribbon vias extending through the ceramic body, the plurality of ribbon vias comprising a micro-machined platinum foil having a thickness of less than 100 microns and plated with a layer of niobium such that when the ceramic body and plurality of ribbon vias are heated above a eutectic point, interfaces between the plurality of ribbon vias and the ceramic body are sealed by a partial transient liquid phase bond such that voids surrounding the plurality of ribbon vias are filled by an alloy of platinum and niobium,

in which the plurality of ribbon vias extend out of two sides of the ceramic body and are configured to make electrical connections through the ceramic body between an internal electrical device and an external electrical device.

22. An electrical feedthrough comprising:

a ceramic body; and

ribbon vias extending through the ceramic body and extending out of at least one surface of the ceramic body, wherein a width of the ribbon vias vary through a thickness of the ceramic body, wherein the ribbon vias comprise;

a first planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a left portion of the ceramic body, the first group comprising serpentine vias with a right turn and a left turn; and

a second planar group of ribbon vias is formed in a right portion of the ceramic body, the second group comprising serpentine vias with a right turn and a left turn;

wherein the serpentine vias comprise a diffusion path length at an interface between the vias and ceramic body, the diffusion path length being greater than a thickness of the ceramic body.

23. An electrical feedthrough comprising:

a ceramic body; and

a ribbon via extending through the ceramic body, an interface between the ribbon via and the ceramic body comprising a partial transient liquid phase bond, the ribbon via extending out of at least one surface of the ceramic body, wherein a width of the ribbon via varies through a thickness of the ceramic body; and

a ground plane embedded in the ceramic body and underlying the ribbon via.