Greatbatch Ltd.

A feedthrough for an AIMD is described. The feedthrough includes an electrically conductive ferrule having a ferrule sidewall defining a ferrule opening. The ferrule sidewall has a height. At least one recessed pocket has a depth extending part-way through the height of the ferrule. An oxide-resistant pocket-pad is nested in the recessed pocket. An electrical connection material is supported on the pocket-pad for making an oxide-resistant electrical connection to the ferrule. An insulator is hermetically sealed to the ferrule in the ferrule opening. At least one active via hole extends through the insulator with an active conductive pathway residing in and hermetically sealed to the insulator in the active via hole.

A feedthrough for an AIMD includes a ferrule with an insulator hermetically sealing a ferrule opening, both cooperatively separating a body fluid side from a device side. A circuit board disposed adjacent to the insulator device side has a ground plate or ground trace electrically connected to a circuit board ground conductive pathway disposed in a circuit board ground via hole. An anisotropic conductive layer disposed between the circuit board and the insulator device side has an electrically insulative matrix supporting a plurality of electrically conductive particles. The anisotropic conductive layer has a first thickness where at least one first electrically conductive particle is longitudinally aligned and in electrical contact with the ferrule and the circuit board ground conductive pathway electrically connected to the at least one circuit board ground plate or ground trace. The anisotropic conductive layer has a second, greater thickness where the ferrule and the circuit board ground conductive pathway are not longitudinally aligned, and no electrically conductive particles are in electrical contact with the ferrule and the circuit board ground conductive pathway.

An EMI/energy dissipating filter for an active implantable medical device (AIMD) is described. The filter comprises a first gold braze hermetically sealing the insulator to a ferrule that is configured to be mounted in an opening in a housing for the AIMD. A lead wire is hermetically sealed in a passageway through the insulator by a second gold braze. A circuit board substrate is disposed adjacent the insulator. A two-terminal chip capacitor disposed adjacent to the circuit board has an active end metallization that is electrically connected to the active electrode plates and a ground end metallization that is electrically connected to the at least one ground electrode plates of the chip capacitor. There is a ground path electrically extending between the ground end metallization of the chip capacitor and the ferrule. The ground path comprises at least a first electrical connection material connected directly to the first gold braze, and at least an internal ground plate disposed within the circuit board substrate with the internal ground plate being electrically connected to both the first electrical connection material and the ground end metallization of the chip capacitor. An active path electrically extends between the active end metallization of the chip capacitor and the lead wire.

A miniature electrochemical cell having a total volume that is less than 0.5 cc is described. The cell casing is formed by joining two ceramic casing halves together. One or both casing halves are machined from ceramic to provide a recess that is sized and shaped to contain the electrode assembly. The opposite polarity terminals are metal feedthroughs, such as of gold, and are formed by brazing gold into openings machined into one or both ceramic casing halves. The two ceramic casing halves are separated from each other by a metal interlayer, such as of gold, bonded to a thin film metallization adhesion layer, such as of titanium, that contacts an edge periphery of each ceramic casing half. A solid electrolyte (Li x PO y N z ) is used to activate the electrode assembly.

A miniature electrochemical cell having a volume of less than 0.5 cc is described. The cell casing comprises an open-ended ceramic container having first and second via holes providing respective first and second electrically conductive pathways extending through the container. A metal lid secured to the open-end of the container by a gold seal provides the cell casing. An electrode assembly housed inside the casing comprises a cathode active material deposited on an inner surface of the ceramic container in contact with a current collector in electrical continuity with one of the conductive pathways. A solid electrolyte, preferably of LiPON (Li x PO y N z ), is deposited on the cathode active material followed by an anode active material in contact with the other conductive pathway. The first and second conductive pathways can comprise platinum or gold. That way, the first and second conductive pathways serve as negative and positive terminals for the cell. The negative and positive terminals are configured for electrical connection to a load.

A miniature electrochemical cell having a volume of less than 0.5 cc is described. The cell casing comprises an open-ended ceramic container having a via hole providing an electrically conductive pathway extending through the container. A metal lid closes the open-end of the container. An electrode assembly housed inside the casing comprises an anode current collector deposited on an inner surface of the ceramic container in contact with the electrically conductive pathway in the via hole. An anode active material contacts the current collector and a cathode active material contacts the metal lid. A separator is disposed between the anode and cathode active materials. That way, the electrically conductive pathway serves as a negative terminal, and the lid, electrically isolated from the conductive pathway by the ceramic container, serves as a positive terminal. The negative and positive terminals are configured for electrical connection to a load.

In various examples, a method of establishing a communication session between an external device and an implantable medical device is described. The method includes generating at the external device a first private key and a first public key. A start session order is sent over a long-range communication channel. Evidence of physical proximity is sent from the external device to the implantable medical device over a short-range communication channel. A second private key and a second public key are generated at the implantable medical device. A first shared key is generated by the implantable medical device using the first public key and the second private key. A second shared key is generated by the external device using the second public key and the first private key. The first and second shared keys are used to encrypt and decrypt one or more messages between the external device and the implantable medical device.

A miniature electrochemical cell having a total volume that is less than 0.5 cc is described. The casing enclosure consists of a lower plate supporting a cylindrically-shaped can having an open upper end closed with a cover. The can is selectively coated with a dielectric material to provide electrical isolation of the to-be-housed active materials from the can sidewall. A glass-to-metal seal electrically isolates the lower plate from the can. An electrode assembly comprising a sandwich of cathode active material/separator/anode active material is housed in the casing. That way, the lower plate contacting the cathode active material is the positive terminal and the closing cover connected to the can and contacted to the anode active material serves as the negative cell terminal. An electrolyte filled into the casing activates the electrode assembly and the fill opening is sealed with a plug. The cell can be of either a primary or a secondary chemistry.

Tantalum powders produced using a tantalum fiber precursor are described. The tantalum fiber precursor is chopped or cut into short lengths having a uniform fiber thickness and favorable aspect ratio. The chopped fibers are formed into a primary powder having a controlled size and shape, narrow/tight particle size distribution, and low impurity level. The primary powder is then agglomerated into an agglomerated powder displaying suitable flowability and pressability such that pellets with good structural integrity and uniform pellet porosity are manufacturable. The pellet is sintered and anodized to a desired formation voltage. The thusly created capacitor anode has a dual morphology or dual porosity provided by a primary porosity of the individual tantalum fibers making up the primary powder and a larger secondary porosity formed between the primary powders agglomerated into the agglomerated powder.

An enhanced RF switchable filtered feedthrough for real-time identification of the electrical and physical integrity of an implanted AIMD lead includes a DOUBLE POLE RF switch disposed on the device side. Additionally, the RF switchable filtered feedthrough can optionally include transient voltage suppressors (TVS) and an MRI mode. In an embodiment, a DOUBLE POLE RF switch selectively disconnects EMI filter capacitors so that an RF test/interrogation signal is sent from the AIMD down into an implanted lead(s). The reflected RF signal is then analyzed to assess implanted lead integrity including lead body anomalies, lead insulation defects, and/or lead conductor defects. The Double Pole switch is configured to be controlled by an AIMD control signal to switch between FIRST and SECOND THROW positions. In the FIRST THROW position a conductive leadwire hermetically sealed to and disposed through an insulator is electrically connected to a filter capacitor, which is then electrically connected to the ferrule of a hermetic feedthrough of an AIMD. In the FIRST THROW position, EMI energy imparted to a body fluid side implanted lead can be diverted to the housing of the AIMD. In the SECOND THROW position the conductive leadwire is electrically connected to an RF source disposed on the device side of the housing of the AIMD. While in the SECOND THROW position, a reflective return signal from the RF source is measured and analyzed to determine if the implanted AIMD lead exhibits any life-threatening performance issues, such as lead body anomalies, lead insulation defects or changes, or even defective, fractured or dislodged lead conductors. In another embodiment, a SINGLE POLE RF switch is configured to disconnect filter capacitors during the delivery of a high-voltage cardioversion shock from an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Dis-connection of the filter capacitor either reduces or eliminates filter capacitor pulse inrush currents, which allows for the use of standard low-voltage filter capacitors instead of larger and more expensive high-voltage pulse rated filter capacitors. Dis-connection of the filter capacitor also allows for an RF interrogation pulse to be applied to the implanted lead in real-time (for example, pre-set intervals throughout the day).