Feedthrough with an integrated charging antenna for an active implantable medical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12383750-B2
Application number	US-202217972893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2022
Priority date	Oct 29, 2021
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

An inductive charging antenna for charging the power source of an active implantable medical device (AIMD) is described. The charging antenna is supported on the body fluid side of the feedthrough insulator, on the device side of the insulator or it is embedded inside the insulator. The charging antenna is connected to electronic circuits housed inside the medical device to charge the power source so that the device can deliver electrical stimulation to a patient and receive sensed biological signals from body tissue, among other functionalities. If the charging antenna is supported on the insulator body fluid side, it is made from a biocompatible material such as platinum. However, if the charging antenna is embedded inside the feedthrough insulator or is supported on the device side of the insulator, it can be made from a less expensive material that is not biocompatible, for example, copper.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A feedthrough, comprising:
a) an electrically conductive ferrule comprising a a) ferrule sidewall defining a ferrule opening, the ferrule sidewall extending to a ferrule body fluid side and a ferrule device side;
b) a ceramic insulator hermetically sealed to the ferrule in the ferrule opening, the ceramic insulator extending to an insulator body fluid side surface at or adjacent to the ferrule body fluid side and an insulator device side surface at or adjacent to the ferrule device side;
at least a first electrically conductive pathway extending through the ceramic insulator to the insulator body fluid and device side surfaces; and
d) at least one electrically conductive antenna trace comprising at least one of:
A) a body fluid side length supported entirely on the insulator body fluid side surface and extending from a first conductive leg extending through the ceramic insulator to a second conductive leg extending through the ceramic insulator, wherein the first and second conductive legs have respective first and second conductive leg ends residing at the insulator device side surface, the first and second conductive leg ends being configured for subsequent electrical connection to at least one electronic circuit; and
B) a device side length supported entirely on the insulator device side surface and extending to first and second conductive trace ends at the insulator device side surface, the first and second conductive trace ends of the device side length of the electrically conductive antenna trace being configured for subsequent electrical connection to at least one electronic circuit.

2. The feedthrough of claim 1 , wherein a second electrically conductive pathway extends through the ceramic insulator to the insulator body fluid and device side surfaces.

3. The feedthrough of claim 2 , wherein the at least one electrically conductive antenna trace either surrounds the first and second conductive pathways or extends between but does not contact the first and second conductive pathways.

4. The feedthrough of claim 2 , wherein there is at least two rows of electrically conductive pathways extending through the ceramic insulator to the insulator body fluid and device side surfaces, and wherein the at least one electrically conductive antenna trace extends between but does not contact the at least two rows of electrically conductive pathways.

5. The feedthrough of claim 1 , wherein, if the electrically conductive antenna trace is supported entirely on the insulator body fluid side surface, it is selected from platinum, platinum alloys, gold, gold alloys, rhodium, titanium, molybdenum, and mixtures thereof.

6. The feedthrough of claim 1 , wherein, if the electrically conductive antenna trace is supported entirely on the insulator device side surface, it is selected from platinum, platinum alloys, gold, gold alloys, rhodium, titanium, molybdenum, copper, copper alloys, and mixtures thereof.

7. The feedthrough of claim 1 , wherein the at least one electrically conductive antenna trace is contacted to at least one of the insulator body fluid side surface and the insulator device side surface by at least one of printing, screen printing, pad printing, painting, plating, brush coating, direct bonding, active metal brazing, magnetron sputtering, physical vapor deposition, ion implantation, electroplating, and electroless plating.

8. The feedthrough of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic insulator is selected from alumina, 3% YSZ, zirconia, sapphire, aluminum nitride, alumina toughened zirconia, boron nitride, ceramic-on-ceramic, partially stabilized zirconia, strontium aluminate, yttria-stabilized zirconia, zirconia toughened alumina, zirconia toughened ceramics, celsian (BaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 ), a Li 2 O×Al 2 O 3 ×nSiO 2 glass-ceramic system (LAS system), a MgO×Al 2 O 3 ×nSiO 2 glass-ceramic system (MAS system), a ZnO×Al 2 O 3 ×nSiO 2 glass-ceramic system (ZAS system), and combinations thereof.

9. The feedthrough of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic insulator is characterized as having been sintered from a unitary body of green-state ceramic material or is characterized as having been sintered from a plurality of green-state ceramic sheets stacked one upon another.

10. The feedthrough of claim 1 , wherein the first electrically conductive pathway comprises a device side first conductive pathway portion of a first diameter that extends from the insulator device side surface to an annular step in the insulator that widens to a body fluid side first conductive pathway portion extending to the insulator body fluid side surface, the body fluid side first conductive pathway portion having a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter, and wherein the device side first conductive pathway portion comprises a platinum-containing material that is characterized as having been co-sintered with the ceramic insulator, and the body fluid side first conductive pathway portion comprises a terminal pin that is hermetically brazed to the ceramic insulator, and wherein the terminal pin abuts the platinum-containing material to form the first electrically conductive pathway extending from the insulator body fluid side surface to the insulator device side surface.

11. The feedthrough of claim 1 , wherein the at least one electrically conductive antenna trace has a rectangularly-shaped serpentine trace portion, or a sinusoidal trace portion that is supported entirely on the insulator body fluid side surface except for the first and second conductive legs or that is supported entirely on the insulator device side surface.

12. A feedthrough, comprising:
a) an electrically conductive ferrule comprising a ferrule sidewall defining a ferrule opening, the ferrule sidewall extending to a ferrule body fluid side and a ferrule device side;
b) an alumina insulator hermetically sealed to the ferrule in the ferrule opening, the alumina insulator extending to an insulator body fluid side surface at or adjacent to the ferrule body fluid side and an insulator device side surface at or adjacent to the ferrule device side;
at least a first platinum-containing conductive pathway and a second platinum-containing conductive pathway extending through the alumina insulator to the insulator body fluid and device side surfaces; and
d) at least one electrically conductive antenna trace comprising at least one of:
A) a body fluid side length supported entirely on the insulator body fluid side surface and extending from a first conductive leg extending through the alumina insulator to a second conductive leg extending through the alumina insulator, wherein the first and second conductive legs have respective first and second conductive leg ends residing at the insulator device side surface, the first and second conductive leg ends being configured for subsequent electrical connection to at least one electronic circuit; and
B) a device side length supported entirely on the insulator device side surface and extending to first and second conductive trace ends at the insulator device side surface, the first and second conductive trace ends of the device side length of the electrically conductive antenna trace being configured for subsequent electrical connection to at least one electronic circuit.

13. The feedthrough of claim 12 , wherein the at least one electrically conductive antenna trace either surrounds the first and second conductive pathways or extends between but does not contact the first and second conductive pathways.

14. The feedthrough of claim 12 , wherein, if the at least one electrically conductive antenna trace is supported entirely on the insulator body flui

Assignees

• Greatbatch Ltd

Inventors

• Villamil Luis Daniel
• Seitz Keith W
• Calamel Jonathan
• Marzano Thomas
• Stevenson Robert A

Classifications

• H01R13/5224

  for medical use · CPC title

• A61N1/3787

  from an external energy source · CPC title

• A61N1/375

  Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings · CPC title

• A61N1/3754 Primary

  Feedthroughs · CPC title

• A61N1/36125

  Details of circuitry or electric components · CPC title