Feedthrough device and signal conductor path arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10559408-B2
Application number	US-201715834085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2017
Priority date	Dec 27, 2016
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

Feedthrough device (50; 150), for forming a hermetic seal around signal conductors in a signal conductor group (60; 160) with a group width. The device comprises a slotted member (52; 152) and a base (62; 162). The base defines a through hole (65) that extends entirely through the base along a feedthrough direction (X), and is adapted to accommodate the slotted member. The slotted member defines first and second surfaces (53, 54; 153, 154) on opposite sides associated with the feedthrough direction, and a side surface (55, 56; 155, 156) facing transverse to the feedthrough direction. The slotted member comprises a slot (58; 158), which extends along the feedthrough direction through the slotted member, and opens into the first and second surfaces and into a longitudinal opening (59; 159) along the side surface. The slot extends transversely into the slotted member up to a slot depth at least equal to the signal conductor group width.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A feedthrough device for forming a hermetic seal around a plurality of signal conductors, the signal conductors extending alongside each other to form a signal conductor group with a group width, wherein the feedthrough device comprises:
a slotted member, delimited by a first surface that faces predominantly towards a feedthrough direction (X), a second surface that faces predominantly opposite to the feedthrough direction, and a side surface that interconnects the first and second surfaces and faces outwards in a direction non-parallel to the feedthrough direction;
a base with a hole that extends entirely through the base along the feedthrough direction, wherein the hole is adapted to accommodate the slotted member;
wherein the slotted member further comprises at least one slot, which extends along the feedthrough direction through the slotted member and opens into the first and second surfaces, to allow the signal conductor group to pass from the first surface through the slotted member to the second surface, wherein the slot further opens into a longitudinal opening along the side surface, and extends from the side surface along a depth direction (Z; Y) transverse to the feedthrough direction up to a slot depth (ΔZs; ΔYsa) into the slotted member, wherein the slot depth is equal to or larger than the group width (ΔZs≥Wf; ΔYsa≥Wf),

wherein the base defines an inner surface that directly surrounds the hole, wherein the inner surface covers at least part of the side surface and the longitudinal opening of the slotted member, when accommodated in the hole.

2. The feedthrough device according to claim 1 , wherein the first surface of the slotted member is recessed along the feedthrough direction (X) relative to a surface of the base directly around the hole, when the slotted member is accommodated in the hole, so that at least the first surface of the slotted member and the inner surface of the base form a receptacle in which a sealing body can be accommodated.

3. The feedthrough device according to claim 1 , wherein the side surface of the slotted member has a cross-sectional shape that resembles a stadium or a rounded rectangle, and wherein the inner surface of the base around the though hole has cross-sectional shape adapted to accommodate the slotted member in a form-fitting manner.

4. The feedthrough device according to claim 1 , wherein the side surface of the slotted member defines a flat surface portion that extends in a translationally symmetric manner along a direction (Y) perpendicular to the feedthrough direction (X), wherein the longitudinal opening is located at the flat surface portion, and wherein the at least one slot extends along the depth direction and perpendicular to the flat surface portion into the slotted member.

5. The feedthrough device according to claim 1 , wherein the side surface of the slotted member defines a first side surface segment that is inwardly tapered towards an axis (A 1 ) along the feedthrough direction, and wherein the inner surface of the base is inwardly tapered congruent to the first side surface segment.

6. The feedthrough device according to claim 5 , wherein the side surface of the slotted member includes a second outer surface segment that is inwardly tapered, filleted, or chamfered towards the axis (A 1 ) along the feedthrough direction (X) but oppositely with respect to the first side surface segment, and/or wherein the inner surface of the base includes an inner surface segment that is outwardly tapered, filleted, or chamfered away from the axis, such that the second side surface segment and/or inner surface segment define an inwards peripheral recess directly bordering on the at least one longitudinal opening in the slotted member, the recess configured to accommodate a portion of the sealing body.

7. The feedthrough device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of signal conductors is provided as a plurality of optical fibers, a plurality of electrical conductors, and/or as conductors in a printed circuit board.

8. A signal conductor path arrangement, comprising:
a feedthrough device with a slotted member and a base according to claim 1 , wherein the slotted member is accommodated in the hole of the base;
a plurality of signal conductors, which extend alongside each other to form a signal conductor group with a group width (Wf), wherein the signal conductor group is arranged with a longitudinal portion inside a slot of the slotted member, to extend in a feedthrough direction (X) between the first and second surfaces of the slotted member through the feedthrough device, and
a sealing body covering the first surface of the slotted member and at least the part of the slot where the signal conductor group exits the slot, to envelop the signal conductor group and provide a hermetic barrier between first and second regions that are outside the slotted member and border on the first and second surfaces of the slotted member respectively.

9. The signal conductor path arrangement according to claim 8 , comprising further signal conductors, which extend alongside each other in arrays to form further signal conductor groups with group widths (Wfi);
wherein the slotted member includes further slots, which extend along the feedthrough direction through the slotted member and open into the first and second surfaces to allow the signal conductor groups to pass from the first surface through the slotted member to the second surface;
wherein each further slot opens into a respective longitudinal opening along the side surface, and extends from the side surface up to a slot depth (ΔZsi; ΔYsa) into the slotted member, and
wherein the longitudinal openings are provided on the same and/or on opposite flat surface portions of the side surface of the slotted member, and the sealing body covers all slots to form the hermetic barrier.

10. The signal conductor path arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the hole of the base defines an inner surface that directly surrounds the hole, wherein the base accommodates the slotted member in the hole, and the inner surface of the base covers at least part of the side surface and the longitudinal opening of the slotted member.

11. The signal conductor path arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein the first surface of the slotted member is recessed along the feedthrough direction (X) relative to a surface of the base directly around the hole, so that at least the first surface of the slotted member and the inner surface of the base form a receptacle in which the sealing body is accommodated.

12. The signal conductor path arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein the side surface of the slotted member has a cross-sectional shape that resembles a stadium or a rounded rectangle, and wherein the inner surface of the base around the though hole has a cross-sectional shape adapted to accommodate the slotted member in a form-fitting manner.

13. The signal conductor path arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein the side surface of the slotted member defines a first side surface segment that is inwardly tapered towards an axis along the feedthrough direction, and wherein the inner surface of the base is inwardly tapered congruent to the first side surface segment.

14. The signal conductor path arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the signal conductors have a signal conductor diameter Øf and are arranged alongside each other into a single-layered array, to form the signal conductor group with a group thickness (Hf) that is at least equal to the signal conductor diameter but smaller than twice the signal conductor diameter.

Assignees

• Asml Netherlands Bv

Inventors

• Sprengers Johannes Petrus
• Otten Christiaan

Classifications

• G02B6/428

  containing printed circuit boards [PCB] · CPC title

• H01J2237/31774

  Multi-beam · CPC title

• G02B6/4248

  Feed-through connections for the hermetical passage of fibres through a package wall (see provisionally also G02B6/4428) · CPC title

• H02G3/22

  Installations of cables or lines through walls, floors or ceilings, e.g. into buildings · CPC title

• H01J37/32513 Primary

  Sealing means, e.g. sealing between different parts of the vessel · CPC title